More School Districts Look to GPS Fleet Trackers to Provide a Sense of Security
Imagine having responsibility for the lives of over 3,000 students every day. That’s what the transportation superintendents 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, superintendents 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 technology.
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 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. Fleet tracking devices provides 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 full-time 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. Bus tracking with high-tech fleet trackers 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 school buses can solve at least two problems here. First, if a driver has a habit of tardiness or even leaving stops early, the fleet tracker could be set up to alert the administrator. On the other hand, if a driver is doing as they should and running as required, bus tracking allows supervisors to vindicate their drivers and reason with mistaken parents.
Safety is the most important thing in the transportation of children. Monitoring school buses with GPS tracking devices and letting the drivers know about it produces driver accountability and therefore is a deterrent to bad driving.
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 school 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 fleet tracking devices, technology, and software are designed to mitigate these risks in an economical and unobtrusive manner. School 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 GPS tracking solutions. If you are a parent, you might strongly consider a discussion with your school board regarding school bus monitoring with GPS technology. 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
CEO – Rhino Fleet Tracking
