school bus routing software, School Bus Technology, School bus fleet development, School bus industry, School Bus Routing System
You may also have fewer bus drivers than you’d like. You need to keep costs to a minimum. But it’s more important than ever to have well-optimized routes for your school buses. This is why, for years, most school districts have adopted bus routing software systems capable of generating routes based on their specified needs.
But what happens if your maps are out of date, or real-world changes disrupt the routes? Here are a few tips for maintaining highly optimized routes.
What To Do About Outdated District Maps
1. Be sure your software maps are auto-updating
Most bus routing software packages have a feature for auto-updating the maps from time to time. However, this could potentially be disabled for various reasons. Check the software options and make sure it’s always updating and you’re working with the latest maps.
2. Contact the routing software’s provider
Has it been too long since the last map update, and you know there have been changes to the streets since then? Contact the software developer. Depending on the situation, they may be able to push updated maps to you ahead of schedule or at least boost the priority of updating your maps.
With BusBoss, you are able to make manual map changes. Call us if you need help.
3. Rely on real-world map change reports
No map is going to be up to date forever, and sometimes it can take a while for real-world street changes to make their way into updated maps. If a driver or parent reports a change to the roads, such as a street being blocked off for construction, be sure to manually update your software maps and routes to adjust.
4. Be aware of other potential issues, like crime
Sometimes the map itself doesn’t change, but population or cultural evolution can create mapping problems. A safe area can potentially become dangerous due to rising crime, or due to registered offenders moving into an area. In these cases, you’ll need to proactively update your district maps to route around the areas that are no longer safe for children to enter.
5. Utilize cloud-based mapping systems in-cab
Your bus drivers should have tablets or smartphones that pull their routes directly from the central server. This ensures if you make changes to the route map, drivers will always have the most up-to-date route, even if the modification occurred that same day. Smart in-cab maps can circumvent a lot of problems. Typically, these systems can also produce new routes on the fly, to deal with unexpected contingencies such as a sudden road closure.
BusBoss Optimizes Your Bus Routing
BusBoss is one of the industry leaders in school transportation support software. Our goal is to help every customer cut transportation costs, improve efficiency, and see every child delivered safely day after day. Contact us to learn more about our products and consulting services.
How does your district handle map changes and updates? Please share your tips in the comments.
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