F
or some, ChatGPT or other AI-based chatbot services have become a tool to enhance everyday skills. For others, the
technology is wrought with fear over the sustainability of their jobs. Navigating the technology, especial- ly for the pupil transportation will be a huge undertaking. Yet transporta- tion directors appear ready for the challenge, and many have already adopted aspects of AI into their operations. Zada Stamper, the transportation
director for Laurel Public Schools in Montana, recalled an especially troubling illegal passing incident she learned about. In Concord, North Carolina a 15-year veteran police officer passed a stopped school bus on the right-hand side in May of this year. The video captured on home surveillance shows a student step out of the school bus as the police officer drives by, nearly missing the child. “This officer could have killed that
child,” Stamper said. Imagine if the door could have
closed itself, not letting the child out, if the school bus (or cameras) had detected a car was going to illegally pass. This is only one aspect of arti- ficial intelligence (AI) that Stamper said she believes will increase the safety of school children. She confessed that she sees both the positives and negatives of AI, but notes that it needs to be used cor- rectly in order to be successful in the pupil transportation industry. One use case that Stamper is very
interested in is the use of cameras to observe school bus driver habits. She said the cameras could poten- tially watch for drivers getting tired, having a medical emergency, or even aggressive driving. However, she noted that it’s not about trying to catch the drivers doing something “bad” but instead improving the driving experience, which creates better drivers and increases the
overall the safety of the children. What concerns her, she added, is
Artificial Intelligence This month’s trend survey focused
on the use of technology, in particu- lar predictive analytics and artificial intelligence. Eighty-seven transpor- tation directors/supervisors shared their thoughts on the advancing technology.
60% stated that new technology was a focus of their transportation department/company.
48% said they know the difference between predictive analytics and artificial intel- ligence. Meanwhile,
30% said they don’t know the difference,
and 22% are unsure.
85% of transportation directors/supervisors said they believe that AI will play or is playing a role in student trans- portation.
in how the technology will noti- fy the driver. She said she doesn’t want an audible “you look tired,” for example to be heard to the students throughout the bus. Instead, she prefers a beep or vibration on the steering wheel. “They’re great tools,” she said. “We
just have to figure out a way that we can communicate it without un- dermining the driver, and without notifying passengers.” Canyons School District in Utah
recently added cameras with similar AI technology to its 185 school buses in June. Jeremy Wardle, the director of transportation, said that video cameras were not the district’s first priority, but the ca- pabilities came with the purchase of Samsara’s GPS units. Wardle explained that the district’s previous GPS units were reaching end of life after about 13 years. He said after searching for alternative companies he and his staff discovered Samsara. “They offered us a deal we
couldn’t refuse,” he said, adding that hardware was included for free. “For us it was a win-win, we got new updated GPS units and didn’t have to pay the upfront cost of the hardware.” He noted Samsara also present- ed the option of new forward and rear facing dash cameras. Wardle shared that the district already has 16 interior cameras on each bus, but the Samsara cameras would serve as a standalone system and provide the district with a backup in case the other system went down. Then Samsara began providing further details on the capability of the cameras. The forward cam- era is continuously recording as it detects tailgating, speeding and harsh-braking, to name a few. If a motorist cuts off the school bus driver, for example, district officials
46 School Transportation News • SEPTEMBER 2023
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