School Bus News December 8 2008

Sadly, the New York Post reported Friday that a 14 year old honor student, Jasman Paragas, was killed in Queens by a school bus taking adults to an education class.  Details of the story can be found here.

In Boise, Idaho, a school bus driver was fired for reckless driving.  KVTB.com reported the incident Friday.  Not surprisingly, this was not the first report of reckless driving by the bus driver.  Perhaps this is another case for GPS tracking and further monitoring of bus driver driving habits.

A school bus fire interrupted a jazz band trip.  The StatesmanJournal.com reports that no one was hurt and the driver and others were able to extinguish the fire quickly using on board extinguishers.  It is good to read that the precautions worked well in this case and everyone on board was kept free of injury.

Transport safely,

Steven Van Ooyen

CEO-Track What Matters

SchoolBusRoster.com

School Bus News November 17

Today, a bus rolled over in California. The Ventura Star reported it here.  Let's be all thankful that no students were on the bus.  There is not an immediate understanding of what happened.  

That makes me wonder if they had any kind of GPS tracking or video surveillance.  If there is GPS tracking or video surveillance on this school bus, it will be interesting to see what those show.  There is good reason for these types of surveillance.  Understanding what happened here, in a case where no students were involved, can be invaluable to prevent a school bus crash with injured students.

Does your school district have video and GPS surveillance?  If not, why?  Would you as an administrator or parent like to see your school buses under closer watch?

Take care,

Steven Van Ooyen

CEO - Track What Matters

www.SchoolBusRoster.com

Where Should School Districts Spend Their Money?

In New Hampshire, one of the fundamental issues of student transportation is being debated.  A problem exists where students are being "delivered" late to and from school.  Some progress is made by changing bus routes and assignments.  But, there exists a concern with the consolidation of bus stops to save time.  Fewer bus stops would result in students having to travel further from home in the dark and cold to wait for buses.  Read the story here.  Though there was money originally allocated to purchase a new bus, that money has been revoked due to budget constraints.  

This begs the question of what priorities precede that of purchasing another bus.  This is no judgement on the school district but simply a question.  I can imagine the decisions they have to make.  Do they purchase more technology for classrooms or a bus?  Do they purchase more equipment for athletic programs or a bus?  Do they purchase library books or a bus?  

In other news today...

In Manchester yesterday, a bus was struck by a 69 year old man who did not see the bus "because he was blinded by the sun".  11 students were injured.  None of the injuries was serious.  Read the story here.

I'm always interested in your thoughts.  Where does student transportation rank in your district?

Keep them safe,

Steven Van Ooyen

CEO-Track What Matters

www.SchoolBusRoster.com

Mobile Camera Stations

An article in the Canadian Press today talks about adding cameras to school buses.  The intent is to deter drivers from passing stopped school buses.  The question is, "will it work"?

I think it has a good chance.  People change their behaviour when they know they are being watched or monitored.  The insurance industry knows this.  In my discussions with industry officials, some insurance companies would be willing to lower rates for insured motorists based on the number of stop light cameras in the area the drivers drive.  The insurance companies have a long way to go before they could convince the vast majority of drivers to put GPS tracking on their vehicles to share with the insurance companies.  However, the statistics prove the fact that people that are monitored act differently.

We see the same thing in our business with GPS tracking for fleets.  People who know they are being tracked act very differently.  In the same way, companies that put up security cameras in key areas see employee theft drop. So, it stands to reason that, if you can get the word out that the school buses are equipped with cameras that will capture an illegal passing of a school bus, you could deter drivers from putting children at risk with their impatience.

I will be interested to see the outcome of the project.  When I find out more I will be sure to tell you how the cameras on school buses project went.

Let me know if you are considering this or something else.

Cheers,

Steven Van Ooyen

CEO-Track What Matters

SchoolBusRoster.com

November 7 - School bus news and regulations

It seems the NTSB is intent on requiring seat belts on buses.  You probably already knew that.  

But now, there is also a requirement limiting cell phone use as well.  That one seems pretty reasonable.  Bus drivers are performing a specific job and the safety of the students their buses carry is of utmost importance.  So, this one, in my mind, has little to do with personal freedoms and everything to do with safety on the job and student safety.  Read the article.

Blue Bird puts out a new propane powered school bus. 

SUV crashes into a school bus in Connecticut hospitalizing 5 students.

Minivan rearends school bus in North Carolina.  No students were seriously hurt.

A final thought if you are thinking school buses need some work to be safer...  Take a look at this picture from Vancleave, Mississippi.  Vancleave School Bus.  

Keep the kids safe.

Steven Van Ooyen

CEO-Track What Matters

SchoolBusRoster.com