Amid a bevy of options afforded by the latest video security products, cost- effective and appropriate purchase decisions require a solid understanding of an operations most vital needs
Written By Mark Rowh
noted. “Now we’ll just send a request to the company.” While looking forward to taking advantage of easier
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he growing popularity of video systems has proven to be real plus for school bus safety. But with the wide variety of options now available, choosing the right equipment can be a challenge. When making the best choices, transportation leaders are finding that a targeted plan based on local realities offers the most potential for success. That was the approach taken by Howard County Public School System in Maryland, which recently equipped all 500 buses, including route buses and spares, with new BusPatrol cameras. Howard’s fleet, which serves a system of over 58,000 students across 77 schools, had previously featured only onboard models, but the 2020 bus acquisi- tion also included stop-arm units for the first time. The move was made possible by enabling state leg-
islation after years of public discussion about the topic, David Ramsay, transportation director, explained. “For us, first and foremost was getting outside cameras,” he said. Now that stop-arm units have been allowed across Maryland, he added he felt compelled to obtain them as part of a commitment to put safety first. At the same time, given the concurrent need to replace aging onboard cameras, the decision was made to identify a vendor that could meet both demands. That would eliminate the need to deal with more than one company not just in purchasing, but also with maintenance or repairs later on. In selecting onboard cameras, wireless downloading was the top requirement, Ramsay shared. “With our older cameras, when a school administrator or parent wanted to view a video, the only way to do it was in our office,” he
34 School Transportation News • APRIL 2021
downloading, Ramsay shared he is especially pleased with the addition of stop-arm technology. “We know that we have motorists who fail to stop for our school buses. This should help stop that problem,” he said. “I’m totally okay to see someone get a $250 fine if that will help promote safety.” Meanwhile, image clarity was also a top consideration
for Chad Hawley, the transportation operation foreman for Weld County School District 6 in Greeley, Colorado. His 85 buses, which serve a district with 22,000 students, were fitted with high-definition cameras from 247Securi- ty for the 2019-2020 school year. “High-def has proven to be useful when we need to
identify a student or obtain a non-grainy view of a sit- uation,” he said. “With high definition, we’re also able to use the video footage to capture a clear view of a license plate number of a vehicle that ran a stop arm.” While the system is capable of wireless download-
ing, it isn’t being used now due to the cost needed for a tower to consistently transmit wireless service to buses, he said. Instead, staff downloads videos onto a thumb drive, then transfers them to a laptop. Hawley said he does hope to employ the wireless feature in the future. Jeremy Wardle, director of transportation for Can-
yons School District in Sandy, Utah, looks at a variety of factors when selecting video equipment, starting with construction and accessibility. With 33,000 students across 44 schools, the district has a fleet of 185 buses, all equipped with Milestone Systems cameras. “How well is the unit constructed and can it with- stand the use and abuse that it will suffer in a school bus application?” he asked. “Is the hardware and software user-friendly to non-IT personnel?” Functionality and dependability are also as important as audio and video quality. “I ask questions such as is the vid-
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