I
n an era in which school buses are beginning to be equipped with Wi-Fi to help students be able to spend more time on their homework, technology that helps drivers conduct their jobs better and with less stress is similarly becoming more popular. Te latest computer tool that student transporters are increasingly turning to is tablets. Also referred to as mobile data terminals, the
new technology products can solve the ever-present problems of students boarding the wrong bus, and drivers not keeping their route sheets current. Substitute drivers, for example, can keep their eyes focused on the road while listening to turn-by- turn directions—all while being assured that they can find the stops without becoming lost. All of the tablets that are available for use on school buses offer a “dark” function, so as to limit or eliminate distrations while the school bus is in motion. Colleen Murphy-Penk, chief of transportation
for the Youngstown City School District in Ohio, said she is very happy with the new technology that the district has adopted lately. Te district uses Zonar’s ZPass for student tracking, along with the Tyler Technologies MyStop bus location app. Tese operate in combination with Tyler Drive tablets on 78 buses that also integrate with the Tyler Versatrans routing software. “Tese integrate really well,” she explained. “Te
driver and the parents can see the student scan on and off the bus. If the child swipes his/her RFID (radio frequency identification card) and the light is blue, then they belong on that bus. If it scans red, they don’t. Our drivers can use the tablet to bring that student’s information up and tell the student what bus” they are supposed to be riding. Murphy-Penk said that bus drivers are immediately notified via the tablet when a new student is added to a route at the transportation office. Drivers are then encouraged to make suggestions for how to make the tablet an even more powerful tool. But with that said, it has already progressed the way the district provides service—especially since it doesn’t distract drivers from the job at hand. It only amplifies their ability to perform better.
“Our substitute drivers aren’t distracted by having to look back and forth at sheets of paper and then tuck them under their leg to operate the lights, apply the brake or open the door,” she ob- served. Another important feature is the ability to dispatch another driver who is already on the road to pick up students if their regular bus is running late. “Tat driver can bring up the route on their tablet and have exactly the same information as the regular driver, with the tablet giving them directions,” she said. “You just don’t miss a beat when you have the tablets.” She said Youngstown City has yet to use the tablets for pre- or post-checks, which Tyler Tech- nologies said is a coming option, but the tablets do currently promote safety by making everyone’s job easier. “Te tablets simplify our drivers’ jobs, and they are embracing it all. Our district was in academic distress and is the only district in Ohio that is state controlled,” Murphy-Penk added. “I’m lucky that our CEO is very safety-minded. He’s willing to spend money on technology, and that helps the students in many ways.” For instance, she said transportation’s new
routing system has reduced the walk zone from four miles to one mile for high school students, which she feels has contributed to improving at- tendance. “Many good things are happening here in Youngstown, now that we have our integrated tablets,” she added. “We can account for every child, at every stop, on every bus.” When New Caney ISD in Texas began shopping
around for a tablet several years ago, the main criteria was streamlining the job that is performed by bus drivers, to make their jobs easier, said Josh Rice, the district’s director of transportation. New Caney chose SMART Tag from Secured Mobility, and Rice said the solutions offered surpassed his expectations. Not only does SMART Tag integrate with
Tyler Versatrans to directly communicate routing information twice daily to drivers on route, saving money on printouts and reducing distraction for drivers trying to read route sheets while behind
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