How Can School Tracking Be A Secure Choice?

Are you still tracking school bus routes and drivers with a pen and paper? Although these methods may have worked in the good ol' days, the demands placed on school transportation systems today require more technologically advanced practices. It is because of this that a growing number of bus contractors, transportation coordinators, and school districts are turning to software-based bus routing programs and GPS tracking systems. By doing so, student safety is increased exponentially. In this post we will explore three of the many ways that student transportation can be made more secure through tracking school programs.

1. Ensure that kids are being transported to where they need to go

The first objective of any school bussing system is to get students from the correct "Point A" to the correct "Point B" in a timely fashion. Unfortunately, this can often prove to be more challenging than it actually sounds. Numerous children come from families with custody and visitation agreements that may impact their day-to-day bus route.  For example, "Mary" may take the bus to her father's house every-other Friday after school for a weekend visit, and then rides the bus to school from his house on the following Monday morning. How can you be sure that Mary isn't forgotten or left behind by her bus driver on these days? Tracking school bus routes through software systems and GPS will ensure that your drivers never leave a child behind. And through RFID chips, you can increase safety further. Placing these tiny chips in to a child's school ID card means that  students are able  to "check in" when they board the bus, and that school officials and parents are able to keep an eye on each student's whereabouts at all times.

2. Monitor driver safety

Parents have a right to know whether or not their child's school bus driver is performing safely. Without tracking school buses through live GPS updates, however, it is impossible for you to assure these parents that their children are in the best of hands. By keeping a watchful eye on each bus with real-time updates, you can see whether or not your drivers are following the scheduled route, driving the speed limit, or following other traffic safety laws.  Should you decide to do so, you may also provide password protected access to parents so that they may also enjoy the privilege of tracking school busses and receiving the peace of mind that their child's driver is taking care of their precious cargo. And when your drivers know that "big brother" is always watching them, they will certainly feel more compelled to follow safe driving practices to the letter. 

3. Always have a safe and efficient "Plan B"

What would happen if an an emergency required your school district, or even the entire city to be evacuate? Or what if a particular bus route was blocked due to natural disasters, traffic collisions, or construction? In scenarios like these, the entire transportation system can become chaotic and confusing without a system that assists you in tracking school bus routes. Instead of stressing out as you pour over maps and scramble to develop a new route, your tracking system can show you where your busses are presently located, and enable you to quickly determine the most efficient and secure escape and/or alternate path to get each and every student to a safe location. Allowing parents to access your tracking system is especially important in these situations. If busses are delayed or re-routed, it's important for fathers and mothers to be able to see where their children are located in order to avoid mass panic. 

It's not difficult to see that tracking school bus routes, student locations, and driver practices is the best way to achieve higher levels of transportation security. By introducing these types of programs into your school bus system, you can ensure maximum safety for your students.