Remote monitoring using the SafeTransport fleet management, route planning and school bus/student tracking solution.
Bus manufacturers are therefore trying to include basic infrastructure in their newly
delivered buses, to integrate more technology. When companies are ready to spend more on technology and integrate other applications, they can. In February 2017, IC Bus included hardware on all of its new school buses to enable Wi-Fi, so when the time comes, and when it’s most affordable for a district, Wi-Fi and other telematics capabilities may be adopted. “We did that for customers, such as smaller districts or other districts, depending on their situations, that can afford the cellular service for the bus and take advantage of the growing technology that is now available,” said Reed. “Whether it’s at the school yard or where the buses are parked, a bus with Wi-Fi downloads a health report, so that they can get the remote diagnostics. It will also enable GPS, as well as other things that are offered through the other telematics providers that we partner with.” Since they require a subscription, “we are exploring that as an option,” Reed noted.
“Our partnership with Verizon and other data suppliers may enable us to bundle packages and help our customers with subscription packages as a one-stop shop, (which would be) easier than what they are getting today,” she said. As time marches on, cellular service may not only be more robust, but costs may come down—particularly if bus OEMs are able to partner and negotiate packages up- front at the time of purchase. Other technologies, such as those that app developers stand to benefit from, as well as their products, may be more easily used with better connectivity. “We believe it is a sensational idea that all transports have Wi-Fi, or at least the new models” of school buses, said Manuel de la Esperanza, co-founder and CEO of Wave Apps. Tat company created “Wola Schools,” an app that works as a private geolocation system between parents and school buses. “Tus, little by little, the bus fleet will be digitized,” he predicted. In Europe, for example, the “use of [seat] belts on new bus lines is mandatory, but it is not in old models. Te co-existence of technologies with the lack of them is absolutely essential, since everything takes a process.” Cellular data, for instance, “actually continues to become cheaper and more accessible, especially as LTE [a 4G mobile communications standard] rolls out across the U.S.,” said Meghan Murphy, director of developer marketing for Particle, whose technology is used by school bus location firm SafeTransport. Tis product helped a fleet of school buses in Pennsylvania adopt smart technology, to improve efficiency, reduce costs and ensure safety for school children. Te smart tracking system for buses is used throughout
26 School Transportation News • SEPTEMBER 2018
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