A SafeTransport sensor device mounted within a school bus enables communication with an app for child location and visibility.
safety perspective and from a driver-first perspective. Tere are a lot of pieces of technology out there. Our goal is to really think about how to integrate those for our customers going forward.” As companies like IC and competing bus manufacturers include stability control and other technology, buses will integrate multiple technologies and converge. Te school bus ride to and from school will likely change forever, and for the better, for students and those who manage their transportation. IoT and wireless technologies on school buses, however, seem to lag other industries as they slowly become adopted, and as school boards and budgets become aware of the benefits of digitization for school buses. “Cost is probably the biggest factor,” said Elizabeth Gilleo, transportation supervisor for Hendrick Hudson School District in Montrose, New York. “We currently do not have any buses with Wi-Fi capabilities. I really don’t see it in the near future.” Although her school district has no immediate plans to move
forward with Wi-Fi any time soon, according to Gilleo, it does connect to local 3G networks, where available. “We aren’t a rural district, and most students can [already] access Wi-Fi hot spots when on sports trips,” she said.
24 School Transportation News • SEPTEMBER 2018
Gilleo said she sees school districts as hesitant to buy the tech-
nology. “Trying to sell the expense is a tough one. With the area we are in, there are numerous Wi-Fi hot spots (that are already) available to the public,” she added. However, those hotspots are public and outside of the school
district’s control—meaning that students can access almost any web- site they desire. Te same applies to cellular connectivity, although rates apply to the individual student’s plan. Dedicated school bus Wi-Fi connects students to the district’s local area network and adds access blocking controls. When it comes to new bus purchases, it’s difficult to predict
how much additional digital technology or products that districts can afford to purchase. “We will not be getting new buses for two more years, so we will (have to) wait and see what changes have taken place,” says Mike Reinders, transportation director for the Winnebago School District #323 in Winnebago, Illinois. Furthermore, it’s not just the capital cost of the advanced-tech equip- ment that is of concern, school officials explained. Te operating cost, or monthly cost of cellular data that school boards must invest in, to more easily enable the technologies, is another significant budget factor.
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