Meeting of Minds
the
Younstown busriver Maria Morales shows off two of video cameras in the district’s five-camera systems. Maria shows the student/driver scan pad for the Z-Pass tracking and identification system.
a bus as a means of accountability, whereas that function would have been previously conducted with paper and pencil. In addition, the functions that software performs are able to provide a myriad of information to transportation managers, from driver behavior to bus operational metrics. “We have been doing this ‘pencil and paper’ and transposing data into spreadsheets for making the data into information,” says Hannan. “We are looking forward to automating this process with the new technology we have invested in. One won- derful improvement is that we can get maintenance data transmitted to our maintenance department prior to the bus coming into the yard, so the me- chanic can start the repair process while the vehicle is still on mission.” Carter says that his district simply couldn’t operate its routing software without exception reports. “These exceptions are our cue to look into
the nuances of our routing processes and correct the errors that lead to missed or late buses,” he says. “Status reports, too, are an excellent way for our technicians responding to downed units to remotely diagnose and assess the level of repair required to resume normal operations and perhaps what parts may be taken along to render the unit serviceable and avoid a towing expense.” He adds that it can also tell his department whether to deploy a spare bus to continue a route or whether the bus may be repaired on site. “Clearly this provides an important advantage to our fleet service techs and the department as a whole to limit down time,” he adds. Shortly after investing in GPS technology, Hanaan says he was able to review historical data regarding his buses. Such data, and the underlying technology that helped produce it, has paid dividends for the operations of his district. “I had one driver who was consistently driving 15 mph over the posted speed limit on a narrow and curvy highway,” he recalls. “Be- cause of the automation, I was able to correct this behavior before a patron complained or before any accidents occurred.” ●
50 School Transportation News • SEPTEMBER 2017
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