This year, the acceptance of student and bus tracking has blossomed into a technological necessity for a growing number of school districts across the U.S.
Let’s take a look at why bus and student GPS tracking software has become widely accepted by parents, schools, bus drivers and transportation contractors:
These days, a large number of students already have a cellphone they carry with them at all times while at school. In fact, 56% of children between ages eight and 12 and 78% of teens ages 12 to 17 have a cellphone they take to school every day.
Since cellphones are trackable, parents are already able to keep tabs on their kids’ whereabouts (if the phone is on) no matter where they are. Students are already used to being tracked and parents are used to tracking their kids.
Parents not only understand the benefits of monitoring their kids’ whereabouts with the aid of cellphones, but they have also become comfortable with the idea of schools adopting student tracking technology. The bottom line is that student safety is improved greatly when parents and caregivers know where their children are – at all times – before, during and after school.
Initially, bus drivers were fighting GPS tracking, because they felt a bus tracking system was akin to having Big Brother breathing down their necks at every turn. Those initial perceptions have waned considerably, as bus drivers are now realizing the pros of tracking software outweigh the cons. And, while a GPS tracking system is meant to monitor the bus location and speed, it is not just a tool designed to get drivers in trouble.
If something unexpected occurs on a bus route and the driver has to stop the vehicle, the bus tracking system sends an alert back to the control center. The school knows exactly where the bus is and for how long. Also, if a parent calls and says a bus was speeding or the bus never stopped to pick up their child, the control center contains all of the necessary data for school administrators to verify or dispute these claims. With bus tracking software, you may easily go back and see the driver’s speed or that the driver waited X amount of time before pulling away from the child’s bus stop.
That being said, if a bus driver is breaking the speed limit, not stopping at a particular stop or always arriving late, then the bus tracking system is definitely working to monitor bad driving behavior and weed out irresponsible drivers.
In some states, transportation contractors are receiving mandated requirements from school districts to utilize bus and student tracking software. This is a definitive sign that bus and student GPS tracking software is truly growing in acceptance.
If you’re a transportation contractor for school districts in your area, it’s likely student and bus tracking software is a trend that’s going to take root. Incorporating a GPS tracking system into your bus fleet now could set you apart from your competitors.
With GPS tracking, there’s simply no more guesswork. All of the answers you and the school district need at a moment’s notice are available, right there, in real-time. Student attendance improves and parental calls are kept to a minimum because parents also share in the benefit of accurate data concerning their child’s whereabouts. Today, GPS tracking system pros definitely outweigh the cons, and more and more school districts are benefitting from the bottom line: improved student safety and more efficient bus transportation management.
Ready to learn more about the benefits of vehicle and student GPS tracking systems? Click below to register for our free secrets of school bus routing webinar on February 24, 2015.