buses. He credits the fuel with helping reduce fuel costs by more than $80,000 over three years. For seven years Winters has implemented a no-idling policy, which he said he relaxes only when the temperature dips down to about 15 degrees. Childers added, “Sometimes, seemingly innocuous factors can make a difference. For example, in a colder climate, spec’ing a heated driver seat will decrease a school bus’s idle time.”
MAXIMIZING RESOURCES A simple way to reduce fuel costs is to reduce the total number of miles driven while still covering
routes. Fraley’s district now transports students with special needs who previously rode in separate bus- es with the general student population, in order to most efficiently fill bus seats. He and other trans- portation directors who have taken this measure have seen no problems after combining the groups. Fraley simultaneously addresses challenges with driver shortages and fuel economy, because figur- ing out how to cover routes with fewer drivers also results in more efficient routes. He works with the drivers themselves to map out the best strategy. “We feel our drivers are our greatest asset and I am a firm believer of the person who knows the job best is the person who does the job daily,” he said. Many districts, including Fraley’s, are outfitting their fleets with GPS technology to make it easier to track buses and answer parents’ questions about when their kids will get home, while increasing fuel economy by analyzing routes and monitoring idling. “Zonar allows the user to set up parameters and then to be alerted once that parameter has been
broken, for example to alert any time a bus idles longer than x (number of) minutes,” said Bill Weis- berg, director of transportation for Vista Unified Schools in Southern California. Student Transportation, Inc. (STI), one of the country’s largest bus contractors, has seen adoption of its SafeStop bus tracking app more than double, with more than 40,000 users in school districts
These simple metal gauges in Kanawha County school bus tires allow the district to monitor tire pressure and reduce fuel consumption.
CONNECTED PARENTS ARE INFORMED PARENTS
Tyler’s software solutions can help you build an informed, connected community.
When information flows seamlessly to parents and guardians, districts can deliver safer, more efficient transportation to every student. That’s why Tyler Technologies provides integrated solutions for parent communication.
Learn more at
tylertech.com/stn.
www.stnonline.com 37
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52