connected operation focused on safety, navigation and communication. Transportation Coordinator Marcus Swainston said when he first arrived the district was beginning to implement video monitoring systems and had recently replaced paper pre-trip inspections with Zonar’s electronic wand system for pre-trips, post-trips and other vehicle inspections. Last year, Jordan implemented Transfinder routing
software and its Wayfinder navigation system, which Swainston said has been a learning curve as the routing team used a previous system for years. “In the first year, we focused on implementing Trans-
finder and utilizing the system. Now, in the second year, we’re actively learning and leveraging the system’s features to our advantage,” he said, adding the most significant advantage he’s observed is the Wayfinder nav- igation feature, which provides drivers with turn-by-turn GPS directions. “Our goal is to fully understand the system and maximize its potential by the end of year three.” For families, Jordan uses Zonar’s MyView parent app
to provide real-time information about approximate pickup and drop-off times. That visibility has reduced calls to dispatch because parents can check bus infor- mation themselves, he said. Safety technology remains another major focus. Jor-
dan uses Fortress camera systems, including stop-arm camera footage that can be forwarded to local law en- forcement for review following illegal passing incidents. These departments, he said, then utilize the footage to
either issue citations (a first offense has been increased to $1,000) or educate drivers about the law regarding passing a stopped school bus with its stop arms de- ployed and red lights flashing.
Technology with a Purpose Also in Texas, 209 miles west of Emmet ISD, sits Pros- per ISD, where Director of Transportation Teri Mapengo said technology has become a big part of operations. “We are a fast-growing district, and with that growth comes more students, more buses, more routes and more mov- ing pieces,” she said. “We’ve learned that we have to be willing to change and find better ways of doing things.” Prosper ISD buses have GPS, camera systems, electronic
routing and navigation, tablets and scanners and student ridership technology. It also has tools that help give parents better information about their student’s transportation. “For me, though, technology has to have a purpose,” she
shared. “I don’t want to add something just because it’s the newest thing out there. If we are going to invest in it, I want to know that it is going to make us safer, make our team’s
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