Imagine having responsibility for the lives of over 3,000 students every day. That's what the transportation superintendants of major school districts deal with every day. School buses are on our roads every day of the week. Whether it is the day-to-day routes or field trips, superintendants carry that responsibility along with the drivers. As a result of crashes, close calls, and fatalities, as well as simply overlooking a student left on a bus, a number of safety restrictions have been mandated by the states and federal government.
One item that has yet to be mandated is what we believe to be the new future of bus safety. That is school bus tracking using GPS. While commercial fleets track vehicles on a regular basis, schools have been slower to adopt the technology. Cost is the first, and obvious obstacle. But, once you get beyond that, there are few reasons to not adapt this technology. Take into consideration the following:
- School buses are required to remain under 50 MPH at all times. This is for the safety of the children. Reducing speed has long been proven to less the opportunity and result of accidents. GPS bus tracking gives instant feedback when speed limits are exceeded.
- Since school buses carry our most precious cargo, it is imperative to monitor the drivers of those buses to ensure the bus is going where it should be and when it should be going there. When talking with school administrators, we repeatedly hear stories of drivers, whether fulltime or part time, taking unapproved trips or routes in the school buses. This not only has the opportunity to endanger the lives of the children but also leaves the school district and administrators open to legal action. GPS bus tracking with Track What Matters solves this problem by providing accountability to the drivers. Though some might want to catch offenders, I'd rather inhibit the bad behavior so that it never happens.
- The school bus fleets we have spoken with are required to maintain a tight schedule and be there when expected. GPS Tracking of buses can solve at least two problems here. First, if a driver has a habit of tardiness or even leaving stops early, GPS Tracking with TMW would allow you to see this. On the other hand, if a driver is doing as they should and running as required, GPS bus tracking allows supervisors to vindicate their drivers and reason with mistaken parents.
- Safety is the most important thing in the transportation of children. Tracking buses with GPS and letting the drivers know about it produces driver accountability and therefore is a deterrent to bad driving.
- The worst case scenario I can imagine, beyond a horrific crash, is a bus of children being taken off route in a malicious way. I sincerely hope, if this ever happens, that a GPS bus tracking unit is present on the vehicle allowing for quick location of the vehicle by the authorities.
I usually don't "advertise" in my blogging since it is really just my opinions and the stating of facts. But, this time I think it is worth it. The cause of bus tracking resonates with me very deeply. Parents put their trust in the drivers of buses daily. But, the fact is that not every driver will always do as they should. Our device, network, and software is designed to mitigate these risks in an economical and unobtrusive manner. GPS bus tracking offers a wide array of benefits (I didn't even talk about the benefits for dispatch and the like) and our cost is very reasonable, especially when compared to some other systems.
If you are an administrator, I hope you consider tracking your buses using our GPS Tracking System. If you are a parent, you might strongly consider a discussion with your school board regarding GPS bus tracking. I don't think you will find a great amount of resistance from those administrators who have taken on this great responsibility.
Keep them safe and well
Steven Van Ooyen
CTO - Track What Matters
Labels: bus tracking, GPS for buses, GPS tracking, school bus tracking
