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By DONNA SANTI / guest columnist

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-          Donna Santi is a creative writer for LandAirSea Systems, a Woodstock, IL-based manufacturer and distributor of expertly-engineered GPS tracking systems, software and accessories. For information about LandAirSea, visit www.landairsea.com. To contact the writer, email donna.santi@landairsea.com

Colleges and universities strive to make good first impressions, as many a prospective student has been swayed by the looks of a place. Youth and their families are usually attracted to schools that strike the right balance between progress and tradition. Modern technology is essential. Tree-lined quads and ivy-covered walls add to the charm.

GPS & University Transportation

While researching where they want to live and attend classes for the next four or more years, most teens will fail to ask an important question: Where will they park their cars?

Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas is trying to find a fair solution to the dilemma of concrete parking lot versus green space. With 8,000 students and 300 acres, space is at a premium and kids just have to get to class on time. The answer might be shuttle buses equipped with GPS tracking.

Administrators know that their fleet of buses offering free rides reduces students’ dependence on their autos. But the problem is the current bus system is overcrowded and inconsistent. When a shuttle is packed to capacity, students have to wait 10 to 20 minutes for the next pickup. That’s a poor excuse for tardiness, and it’s one being used too often in TCU classrooms.

So the student government, school administrators and campus police are working cooperatively to improve the fleet management system. A key step is to put real-time GPS tracking systems on the buses and allow students online access to the route through a special application on their laptops or smart phones.

Other planned improvements in the shuttle system:

• Better lighted bus stops for safety.
• Kiosks at the stops with LED displays of next-bus arrival times. The stop times will be based on “live” data (time, bus location, direction, speed) so they will be exact, rather than estimated.
• Expanded coverage area and extended service into the evening.
• Larger, more detailed maps posted in dormitories and public areas to encourage ridership.

The benefit to students is that they will know where their bus is and when it will arrive, leading to tighter schedules and increased personal safety. The tracking system will allow the university transportation department to monitor the bus schedule in real time and react quickly to traffic snarls and mechanical delays.

The GPS tracking system also records all travel data. Custom software allows administrators to analyze the data, recognize patterns, generate reports and adjust the shuttle schedule in response to ridership demands. Drivers can be monitored for safe driving habits, mechanics can keep up with their routine maintenance schedules, and buses can be watched for their energy efficiency.

TCU police chief Steve McGee has been talking to GPS tracking manufacturers in an attempt to find the best and most affordable vehicle tracking system for the school. Early cost estimates for the first year of the vehicle tracking system have ranged from $80,000 to $100,000.

TCU senior Ido Farhi said he was pleased with the proposed GPS tracking system and other shuttle improvements. But he pointed out that it would not solve the parking problem for students who commute to school, rather than live on or near campus.

Remedies being discussed are better policing of student parking lots, some sort of financial breaks for car poolers and shuttling from an off-campus, leased lot.

Texas Christian University is a private institution, founded in 1873.

Source: The Daily Skiff