while driving in adverse weather conditions. “I see this as similar to ABS,” said Burr. “New buses are
now coming with ABS and have been for a number of years. It’s just another step to make the industry safer. I see it as an ongoing evolution that comes with the cost of doing business. It makes our operations safer.” A complimentary technology to collision mitigation
solutions is the electronic stability control system, or ESC, which Blue Bird, IC Bus and Thomas Built Buses now provide as standard equipment. Manassas City Schools in Virginia uses the Mobile Eye
forward collision warning system, pedestrian and cyclist detection, headway monitoring to avoid tailgating, lane departure warning, and speed limit indicator in tandem with the WABCO Smartract ESC on nine of its Thom- as C2 Saf-T-Liner buses. “Being that we almost always cancel school when it snows or [the roads have] ice, the traction control is not used to its fullest,” said Director of Transportation Joe Yankoviak. He reported that Mobile Eye reduced the speed and
following distance of at least one of the district’s drivers. “Most drivers are fine driving with [the technology]. They say that it takes a little getting used to,” he explained. “If Mobile Eye increases safety, then it’s worth having. With
this one driver, I would say it has increased safety.” But transportation directors are quick to point out that
the adoption of this new technology has been slow— despite IC Bus making its collision mitigation system standard on all newly-purchased school buses, and Thomas offering its solution for the past three years. Rafael Salazar is the director of transportation at
Northside Independent School District, which covers 354 square miles on the northwest side of San Antonio, Texas. Like Tom Burr, he noted that school buses are following commercial automobiles and trucks in terms of technology. He is quite upbeat about the adoption of collision mitigation systems, but he stressed that adop- tion needs to happen faster. Specifically, he said he sees the value of collision
avoidance systems as two-fold. “First, parents and driv- ers need to know that we are very serious about their safety,” added Salazar. “Secondly, the bus industry is doing good, and following the auto industry with safety features and data to support these features on buses. There is a big future, but [it is] slow to integrate.” This will likely change, as more systems become standard and fleets undergo their normal replacement cycles.
QUAL IT Y MAT TERS
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