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More school systems are catching on to the idea of GPS tracking for their bus routes. For years school buses have been the most effective way to get students to school and back home each day, but they have always been plagued with inefficiency and some have developed a reputation among students for being unsafe. Many students beg parents to drive them to school because they are afraid to ride the bus, and many parents worry about their children, poised at the side of the road, when buses run late. While some of these issues must be addressed at multiple levels, GPS fleet tracking can aid in the resolution of many school bus troubles.

Fleet tracking has been used for many years by businesses to improve transportation efficiency and keep drivers accountable. A tracking device is attached to each vehicle and is monitored through satellite technology. Fleet tracking systems can tell the business owner all kinds of valuable information, including where a vehicle is, how fast it is traveling, if its doors are open, and the vehicle’s estimated time of arrival. All this data can be viewed in real-time or stored for later review and analysis.

Fleet tracking is now being used by more than business owners. School boards across the country have discovered the helpful benefit of GPS tracking technology. The Alpine School District of Utah has just begun using a tracking system to watch all of its school buses on their routes. They estimate the cost of the system will be saved in efficiency, including time and fuel savings, within the year. Parents’ worries about a late bus can be quieted; they can now call the office, and district personnel can tell them where the bus is and when it will arrive.

Student safety issues can also be addressed with the information GPS tracking systems provide. In Bibb County, Georgia, a bus driver was accused of departing from his route and taking at least one student to the wrong location. He was suspended and recommended for termination when the GPS data and security videos proved that the allegations were true. This kind of driver accountability can deter similar activity and help to identify problems quickly when they do occur.

There is no single cure-all for the bus route difficulties a school district may face, but GPS tracking is a tremendous boost is the right direction of saving money and keeping children safe.

Article Written by Greg Bartlett

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By Greg Bartlett

Back-to-school season is upon us, which means it’s time once again to pull out the list of supplies your district says every kid needs. 24-color crayon set? Check. Appropriately glitzy notebook cover? Check. GPS tracking system installed in the bus your kid rides on? Check.

We all know how prevalent GPS tracking systems have become in the past decade. Wherever there is something of value, businesses will eventually find a cost-effective solution to track it. So it’s no surprise to find more and more school districts having GPS units ride along with school children each day. Most counties are eligible to apply for national grants which allow them to purchase fleet-wide systems that can effectively monitor the location of each bus in real time.

Just this month, the Polk County School District in Florida used a $100,000 grant to implement a system combining GPS and biometric scanning data to keep track of every student on a bus anywhere in the area. Other more popular GPS tracking systems simply employ student ID cards scanned inside the bus to allow parents to check departure and arrival times for their kids. Sometimes interior cameras are included for extra security, as well as cell-phone boosters and other helpful gear.

IC-Bus Corp helped spur the movement to increase bus security back in 2006 when it pledged to integrate GPS units in all of its future models. These specially-designed GPS tracking systems would feed data from every part of the vehicle to satellites real time, allowing dispatchers to monitor any maintenance issues, or even discern the nature of damage in the event of an accident. Having this information allows first responders to quickly determine any serious dangers in a damaged bus and get kids to safety.

Of course, most school districts find bus replacement and maintenance to be one of the most expensive items in the annual budget, so many employ vehicles older than the kids riding them. In these cases, installed GPS tracking systems are the best solution, allowing an appropriate peace of mind to parents left waiting at the bus stop. Johnny may lose his pencil case sometime during the day, but there’s no way his parents are losing him.

Certainly, bus fleets represent just one notable example of all the vehicles in this economy that transport valuable cargo. GPS systems are less expensive than ever, and businesses are finding that their customers appreciate the added assurance and security that an effectively implemented fleet management system provides.

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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.

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