The classic school bus may look similar to those on the road for decades, but major technology changes are increasing student safety. We have assembled a list of five technologies that you may not have heard about that can improve fleet performance and student wellbeing.
Keeping students safe – Five modern school bus technologies to consider for your fleet
- High Tech Cameras One industry study estimates that cars fail to yield to the bus’s flashing stop sign up to 70,000 times per day. We’ve all seen grainy dash-cam footage, but modern high definition cameras are adding new technology that captures and reports the license plates of drivers who fail to stop while students are entering or exiting the bus.
- Asset Monitoring and Child Tracking Students falling asleep or riding the wrong bus home has created anxiety and headaches for countless parents and administrators. New GPS and RFID based systems provide immediate updates on student locations from the time that they enter the bus, arrive at school and return home again in the afternoon. Similar technology provides administrators with the location of the bus and its diagnostic condition.
- WiFi Classroom technology continues to improve leading to more students having access to mobile devices and online learning portals. Student behavior has shown improvement when they have access to the internet during their commute.
- Web based behavior tracking systems for parents and administrators Unfortunately, behavioral issues that begin at school often follow student home on the bus. New technology is connecting the bus driver, teachers, administrators and parents within one continuous loop of communication. Intuitive applications allow these individuals to quickly rate and notate behavior for both positive and negative activities. Students can receive kudos or consequences based upon their behavior throughout the day.
- Automatic Tire Chains School districts make every effort to ensure that their fleets are only operating in safe conditions. Unfortunately, road conditions can change quickly or black ice can form with little notice. Automatic tire chain systems are permanently mounted to the bus and can be activated at the flip of a switch. The simple and reliable systems provide nearly instantaneous traction to help the bus stop when sliding, safely descend slippery hills or potentially prevent the bus from becoming stuck.
Learn more about Automatic Tire Chains:
