Email

By Greg Bartlett

It’s early in the morning, and you’re still hurrying to get all your kids out the door and to the bus stop. You managed to get everyone dressed, wearing the right shoes on the right feet, and carrying backpacks stuffed with homework. Then you go outside into the cold morning air and wait for the bus to arrive. You were so rushed getting out of the house that you didn’t even have time to get your kids much to eat for breakfast. But now the bus is late, so you have to stand there on the curb, waiting, but you can’t go back into the warm house until it arrives.

Sound familiar? It might not, depending on where you live. You might get up in the morning and be able to glance at the computer and see that the bus is ten minutes late today, so you know you have time to get the kids a little more to eat. If this sounds like your morning and you were able to monitor the bus on your computer, you probably live in an area where buses are tracked with GPS tracking devices.

Some school districts are seeking to help parents determine exactly where a bus is. By equipping the buses with GPS tracking, the schools enable parents to monitor the location of any bus and to verify precisely when it will arrive. Parents can also sign up to receive phone or text message alerts, automatically updating them with bus times and locations so the parents don’t even have to get onto the internet to find out where the bus is.

The GPS tracking units also have a panic button which allows the bus driver to instantly call police in an emergency, such as an accident or hijacking. The GPS unit will also tell police where the bus is located, and if it is moving, it will continue to update the police with information.

Knowing when the bus is going to arrive could save you time in the morning, and definitely relieve some of the stress in your life. You will know exactly when the bus will arrive and how much time you have to get ready. Furthermore, being able to monitor the school bus with GPS tracking means that you know where your child is at all times, and tomorrow morning, you won’t have to wait for twenty minutes out at the cold bus stop.