SPECIAL REPORT
What Can an IT Department Do for Transportation?
The following list, developed in conversations with Brent Maher, VP of IT for First Student, reflects areas of expertise that IT professionals can offer transportation departments when researching, purchasing, implementing and managing camera systems or any solution in the technology stack.
• Technical Expertise: IT departments should lever- age their technical knowledge to evaluate and select the most appropriate digital camera systems and data analytics tools that align with the specific needs of the transportation department.
• System Integration: Ensuring seamless integration of new technologies with existing infrastructure is crucial. IT departments should facilitate this process by addressing compatibility issues and ensuring interoperability.
• Data Management: Effective data management practices, including data collection, storage, pro- cessing and analysis, should be established and maintained by IT departments to ensure the quality and reliability of insights derived from digital camera systems.
• Cybersecurity: IT departments must implement ro- bust cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive data and systems from potential threats and breaches.
• Training and Support: Providing comprehensive training and ongoing support to transportation de- partment staff is essential for the successful adoption and utilization of new technologies.
• Cost-Benefit Analysis: IT departments should assist in conducting cost-benefit analyses to determine the financial viability and return on investment of inte- grating digital camera systems and data analytics.
• Compliance and Regulations: Ensuring compliance with relevant laws, regulations and industry standards is a key responsibility. IT departments should stay updated on regulatory requirements and guide trans- portation departments accordingly.
• Continuous Improvement: Regularly monitoring and evaluating the performance of implemented technologies can help identify areas for improve- ment and ensure that the systems continue to meet the evolving needs of the transportation department.
Samora, who has a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering. “For me, it’s inter- esting. I don’t know that it’s a new idea, but I haven’t heard of the industry talking about this.” He said he also wants to receive similar
instant alerts to review video when yaw sensors detect, for example, driver accel- eration and harsh braking that reaches a certain risk level. Student transportation operations rely
heavily on IT, but none more so than First Student, North America’s largest school bus contractor. Camera systems are just one piece—a vital one—of the extensive technology suite integrated across a fleet of 45,000 school buses. However, managing the data, particularly
video footage, presents the biggest challenge. With all the data collection now possible for student transporters, video or otherwise, that’s where IT can play an active role. “You can get all this data from technol-
ogy, but it’s what you do with it, right?” commented Melinda Hall, First Student’s operations support manager. “You need IT to pull the reports together, give you what you need, so that operations can then do some- thing with it.” That requires IT to be privy to conversa-
tions between transportation departments and vendors in terms of not only the tech- nology but what school districts are looking and what parents are wanting school dis- tricts to deliver. “Senior IT members are starting to go
into the bidding proposal process and participate, because of the saturation of technology offerings,” said Brent Maher, First Student’s vice president of information technology, adding that for as large as the company is, IT can’t be a part of every deal. A school district IT department at a
smaller scale likely would have similar time and workforce constraints. Maher said the most important aspect is for transportation to engage IT professionals for their expert perspectives and know-how. “If a school district is going to invest any
energy in their transportation technology anagement, we recommend they focus on student data,” he concluded. ●
26 School Transportation News • MARCH 2025
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