SAFE FLEET BLOG

Seven-year-old Isaac was supposed to be home by 3:00 PM. The school bus was once again late. This time by over 10 minutes. The city was growing fast, and the school had received an influx of new students. School bus delays were becoming frequent. 

When the bus finally approached, Jenny immediately noticed the regular driver was not at the helm and the driver’s assistant was also not on board. 

“This explains the delay,” Jenny thought as she watched the unfamiliar driver sort through a stack of papers and apologize to the gathering parents. But her heart sank as she saw no sign of Isaac. 

“Where’s Isaac?” Jenny asked the driver.  

“The regular driver is sick. I am filling in for him. When we counted the kids, the number was right. Let me radio the school.” 

The school requested the driver ask the kids onboard about Isaac, but none knew of his whereabouts.   

The driver told Jenny the school would call her directly and her cell phone rang shortly after.  

“Hello ma’am, we haven’t located Isaac yet, but we are actively working on it.  The authorities have been contacted. We’ll keep you updated”  

After hanging up, Jenny called her daughter Maria, Isaac’s sister, hoping Isaac had made it home on his own. Maria confirmed he hadn’t.  

Too worried to wait patiently, Jenny drove to the school.  

The principal, the school transportation director, three police officers and Isaac’s teacher were at the school’s main entrance. The principal, looking at Jenny, apologized. “We believe Isaac got on the wrong bus. “ 

Just then Jenny’s phone vibrated.  

It was her daughter, Maria: “Mom? Isaac is here! He’s okay. He and Julian decided to have a playdate.  Isaac got on Julian’s bus and went to Julian’s house!” Maria explained.  

“How is that possible” asked Jenny? 

“Isaac said they found another student’s paper bus card on the ground. It was the same color as Julian’s card.”  

Jenny thanked Maria and explained what happened to everyone in the room 

“You know, that happens, especially on Fridays,” replied the principal. “Kids love playdates. Our paper system is challenging sometimes, especially when the drivers don’t know the kids. Please accept our apologies. We’ll make sure this never happens again.” 

—— 

Jenny’s drama could have been avoided if the school had leveraged technology to address this type of problem – replacing fear and panic with confidence and trust in the school and its officials. 

The same situation involving a school bus fleet equipped with an integrated student tracking accountability solution would have informed school officials and Isaac’s mother where Isaac was. Before this event could even happen though, an integrated system would have flagged the driver that a student was trying to board the wrong bus. So, the adventure would likely have never occurred in the first place.   

This type of safety framework delivers peace-of-mind. School districts can easily use technology to keep parents or guardians updated on where their kids are, when they board the bus, where the bus is located and when they will reach their destination.  

Let’s break down what happened with Isaac and how it could be avoided using technology:  

1. Driver Confusion:

Substitute drivers and even regular drivers can become unfamiliar with their routes (think construction zones and re-routing due to weather occurrences and collisions). Substitute drivers are also not familiar with the children assigned to a route or bus.  The reliance on paper lists, are also difficult to manage and prone to errors. 

A school bus equipped with an Integrated Routing System, an on board computing tablet that contains school bus routes, and the identities of children associated with each stop, and an integrated RFID card system would automatically give the driver turn-by-turn directions, registering every child to board or exit the bus with specific stop details. In other words, students would always be accounted for on their way to or from school.  

2. Situational Awareness

Live Video Streaming provides an additional safety layer. Critical in an emergency, Live Streaming would have provided a visual confirmation of Isaac on the right bus – on his way home from school as expected.   

3. Student Misidentification:

Isaac got on the wrong bus because of a bus card mix-up. A tablet would show the driver a picture of the student boarding, based on the RFID card they are using. In this case, the driver would see, at a glance, that Isaac looks nothing like the student whose card he was using.   

RFID cards would also keep a tally of how many students are on board each bus – essential information in an emergency.   

The same RFID card can be used to access classroom doors, lunch cards or even Library access and book sign-out privileges.  

4. Other Technology that could help:

Electronic Attendance Systems: 

RFID tags could help schools automate attendance protocols. Integration with school databases would have administration time from manual processes, ensure accuracy and make for better overall performance and efficiency. 

5. Real-Time Tracking and Automated Alerts and Notifications:

GPS-enabled school buses allow parents and school staff to track bus location data in real time. 

Mobile apps or web portals enable parents to monitor their child’s bus route and estimated arrival times. 

Automatic notifications are issued to parents when a child boards or exits the bus. Parents receive an immediate alert if their child is not on their assigned bus or if the bus is experiencing delays. 

6. Digital Communication Platforms:

Dedicated communication apps help build parental trust by enabling parents, teachers, and bus drivers to report issues and check status. 

Centralized systems reducing reliance on phone lines ensure all inquiries and emergencies are handled efficiently and effectively. 

A safety framework is not only about preventing accidents but also providing peace of mind for the school staff and parents. An integrated IoT (Internet of Things) system comprised of sensors, school routing systems, and digital video surveillance cameras can increase accuracy, improve safety, communication and operational efficiency by minimizing human errors and automatizing daily routines. School staff can focus on the student wellbeing and being prepared to act rapidly, and appropriately in the event of an emergency.