School districts all over the US are dealing with budget cuts thanks to the weak economy, and officials in Maryland think they’ve found the answer to dwindling funds and school bus operations.

The school board in Prince County, MD decided to equip their buses with GPS trackers allowing them to monitor the safety of school children and bus drivers as well.  The devices will be affixed to a fleet of nearly 200 buses over the next few months, and will track the speed of  drivers. An email alert will be sent to observers is speeding occurs.  The GPS trackers will also help lost drivers find their way to a stop or back to a school.

To help save money on gasoline and maintenance, the GPS devices will monitor how the drivers operate the bus.  Do they follow the specified route, or veer of course a bit too often, adding to wear and tear on the engine?  Do they sit with the engine idling for too long?  The school department can now assure their buses are running as efficiently as they can, eliminating unnecessary costs.  The device will also alert the mechanic if something goes wrong with the bus, such as a dead battery.

Another handy feature of the device: keeping a log of where the bus has been/is, making it easy to figure out if the driver missed any stops.  It will even allow parents to find out exactly where the bus is at any time.

GPS tracking devices are the best way to assure that your school bus fleet is running efficiently while at the same time assuring the safety of its precious passengers.

Article Written by Khristen Foss