Category: For Parents

Why Teach the Basic Principles of Road Safety to Kids

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

Road safety is of great importance and it is essential for the healthy development of children. Children are most vulnerable to road accidents and injuries. This occurs due to lack of guidance and supervision by adults.

School transportation service is a strategic solution to issues related to student transportation. Even though school transportation is said to be safer, it is our responsibility to teach them the basic principles of road safety. Proper guidance should be given at the right time.

Why is Teaching Safety Rules Important?

Teaching road and school bus safety rules to children are important because of certain reasons. The behaviour of children is unpredictable. Hence, it is impossible to know exactly what they will do when they confront traffic.

Children are smaller and hence it is difficult for drivers to see them. Children usually get frightens if they find any vehicle moving towards them. They freeze for a moment. This makes the situation worse.

Children might be unaware of the safety precautions they ought to take while crossing road. Even an empty street is not devoid of dangers. It's wholly the responsibility of adults to make them understand safety precautions that they must take.

Let’s begin with the most basic concepts that every child must know:

  • Explain what they must pay attention to and make them understand the consequences they face if they don’t
  • Teach basic rules while being pedestrian
  • Learn and obey traffic rules
  • Be careful  while walking through driveways and hidden or narrow passages
  • Be aware of the dangers of crossing between parked vehicles
  • Cross the road only through zebra crossings
  • Avoid running between cars
  • Never walk behind any vehicles
  • Must look both ways before crossing the road

Children never think about vehicles once they get out of the classroom. Their eagerness often overrides their caution in traffic. Being physically smaller children are not easily seen by drivers hence they are more vulnerable to injuries. In this case, there are certain responsibilities for parents as well.

Here are some tips for parents to keep their children safely are:

  • Hold their hands while crossing the road
  • Make them wear conspicuous clothing
  • Choose the safest place to cross
  • Remind them to concentrate on the road as they may get distracted easily
  • Always use the zebra crossing, teach them too
  • Warn them to look out for cyclists or motorcyclists
  • Ask them to observe traffic carefully so that they could cross the road whenever you are not with them

The school bus is one of the safest modes of transportation for students. But accidents can occur even when the child is waiting for the bus.

Parents can ask their children not to play near the road while they are waiting for the bus. Always assure that the child is waiting at the allotted bus stop.

While getting off the bus give them certain advice: get off the bus without pushing; after getting off the bus try not to wait near the road; wait till the bus has driven past and thus can see the road properly.

Here are some tips for school bus drivers to keep their students safe:

  • Ensure children are away from the bus while picking up and dropping off them mainly before moving and while taking reverse
  • If the streets are lined with bushes and trees, then be careful about neighbourhood kids
  • Make sure the children are seated properly when the bus is running
  • Always teach children to not to make noise when driving in a railroad crossing to hear the train alerts
  • Ensure children don’t put heads, hands or any object outside the window

But not only parents and drivers are responsible, children are too responsible for their safety. They must obey certain things while going on a school bus.

Here are some school bus safety tips for children they must aware of:

  • Maintain a minimum distance from the bus until it stops and the driver indicates you to enter
  • Always make use of handrail while entering and exiting the bus
  • Keep aisles of the bus clear
  • Obey all the instructions given by the driver
  • Don’t wait for the bus in the street instead wait on the sidewalk

Whenever a child accident occurs, most of the time fault is with the child. This points us to the fact that teaching the basic principles of road safety is very much necessary. Hence, it is the responsibility of the parents and teachers to guide and supervise them appropriately.

Remember the fact: Saving a child is similar to saving a family

12 Surprising Facts You Never Knew About GPS

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

 

1. There are always at least 24 active GPS satellites orbiting the Earth though there are more than 30 at present out there. The first set of 24 satellites was sent up in 1989

2. The idea of Geo Positioning System or Global Positioning System came from LORAN and Decca Navigation System, which were used during World War II. They helped in the navigation of ships and planes at a long range

3. GPS system uses the principle of Doppler Effect to trace locations as the change in frequency of signals from the GPS satellites helps in identifying locations

4.GPS was first used by US for military purposes to fulfil their need of a global navigation system during the cold war

5. Before Global Positioning System came into existence, navigation system of Navy was being used. However, high speed air force operations demanded a better navigation system that led them to think of navigation using satellites

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6. GPS was called Navstar in the beginning and the first Navstar satellite was launched in 1978. However, the first fully developed GPS satellite was launched only in 1989

7. In 1983, a Korean Airlines flight was shot down by Soviet Union since the flight entered the Soviet airspace. As a result, President Ronald Reagan let Global Positioning System go public for free, which was till then confined to military purposes alone

8.Even after GPS went public, the high quality GPS signals were confined to military purposes only. On May 1, 2000, the restriction was taken off and more accurate signals were available for public use.

9. Introduction of Global Positioning System in automobiles happened in 1996

10. GPS isn’t just about navigation. Every Global Positioning System satellite has multiple atomic clocks and the signals sent out by the satellite includes the time. The signals help the GPS receiver determine the time in 100 billionths of a second and these are used to synchronise time in a cell phone network

11. At present, Global Positioning System is a part of everyday gadgets ranging from mobiles phones to cars

12. The popularity of Global Positioning System is such that there are even GPS shoes available in the market. These have been created to locate Alzheimer’s patients in case they get lost.

Safety Threats at School Bus Stops and How to Deal With Them

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

 

There are a lot of things that can be done to ensure school bus safety. A School Bus Monitoring System or an RFID School Bus Tracking System can be used to track the school bus location and students.

But, people do not think much about the safety concerns at school bus stops. Also, the above mentioned technology cannot help to deal with them. It is up to the parents and school authorities to understand and overcome these safety threats.

Some of them include:

Location of the school bus stop

The location of the school bus stop is the primary concern while considering student safety. Sometimes, they may be in locations infamous for offences like sexual abuse, kidnap etc.

What can be done?

While planning school bus routes, schools authorities can check the location for any anomalies before finalizing it for the school bus stop. Even parents can report to the school authorities if they have any knowledge about the same. This can help in ensuring the safety of students.

Crossing lanes to reach the bus stop

Sometimes, students have to cross roads to reach the bus stop. Usually, when the school bus arrives, roads tend to be busy. Therefore, it becomes risky for the students to cross. It is the same scenario when students alight in the evening.

What can be done?

School authorities can train the school bus drivers to check the roads and signal the students to cross. In case it doesn’t work, parents and school authorities can ask the students to be a little early to their bus stops. This can prevent them from rushing when the school bus arrives. Also, ask them to look both ways before crossing the road to reach the bus stop.

Speeding vehicles at the bus stops

It’s a familiar scene where a vehicle almost flies past a school bus at the bus stop, risking the lives of students. Most accidents in school bus stops happen due to this. Though rules and regulations exist to control such situations, people rarely comply with them.

What can be done?

Ask the students to stay a few meters away from the bus until it comes to a complete stop in the morning or until it departs from the bus stop in the evening. Also, ask them not to go to the right side of the bus while it is stopped at the bus stop. School authorities must train the school bus drivers to check for the same. This can help in avoiding unwanted accidents.

Kids getting underneath the school bus

Some students have the habit of creeping under the bus without the knowledge of the school bus drivers. They fail to realize how this act of theirs can cost their lives. Unfortunately, many students have already lost their lives in such accidents.

What can be done?

Parents must make their children aware of how such unsafe practices can prove to be fatal. Also, the school authorities can train the school bus driver to get down and ensure that there is no student under the bus. If any adult is present at the bus stop, the school bus driver can ask them to ensure that there is no one underneath the vehicle.

Usage of technology cannot really eliminate the threats at school bus stops. Parents and school authorities must work together for that. Parents must talk to their kids about the measures that can be taken at the bus stop. Also, school authorities must train the drivers to take necessary steps to make sure that the students remain safe at bus stops.

Things Parents Can Do To Ensure School Bus Safety

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

 

It’s “back to school” time!

Many kids are starting school this year. So, parents will be naturally concerned about them. The feeling is no different for parents whose children study in higher classes. Their concerns start from the moment the students board the school bus in the morning. It continues until they are back in the evening.

Instead of being concerned, why not contribute to school bus safety? After all, it is not the responsibility of the school bus drivers and school authorities alone. Parents have some responsibilities as well. You can prepare your children to ride safe in the following ways:

Keep your children safe

Make sure that your child does not reach the bus stop early or too late. When they reach too early, they may have an urge to be mischievous. Also, they may rush to catch the already moving bus when they become late, which is unsafe.

Ask your children to come back home if they miss the school bus. In case they miss the bus at school, ask them to report it to any school authority. Tell them to never accept ride from a stranger.

Bus safety rules

Most schools have bus safety guidelines meant for students.  Sit down with your children and discuss about the rules together. Make the children understand the importance of following the rules.

Meet the school bus driver

It is always good to know be informed about the driver of the school bus your child commutes in. Introduce yourself and your child to the driver. Also, ask their name. This can make you less worried. Also, acquaintance with the driver can make your child feel comfortable to ask for help at times of need.

Apart from that, share these tips with your children that they should follow to ensure school bus safety:

At the bus stops

  • Stay away from the road
  • Be punctual so that you don’t have to rush when the bus reaches the stop
  • Do not board the bus until it comes to a complete stop and the brake lights are on
  • Do not rush to board the bus. Wait quietly in a line for your turn, instead
  • Do not raise your voice at the bus stop. However, you can speak quietly
  • Before you cross the road to board the bus, look both ways to ensure that there are no vehicles on the road

On the bus

  • Always follow the instructions of the school bus driver
  • Take your seat and sit properly. If the children are young, parents should ask them to sit in view of the school bus driver
  • Do not stand when the bus is moving
  • Hold school bags in your lap or place them in the areas provided on the bus
  • You can talk to your friends, but in a low voice. Do not distract the school bus driver
  • Keep your head and arms inside the bus. Do no throw anything out of the window when the bus moves
  • Do not eat while the bus is moving. You may choke on the food when the bus goes over a hump
  • Never fight, shout or play in the bus

While leaving the bus

  • Do not push or shove while getting off the bus. Let people in front of you alight first
  • Hold the handrails while boarding and alighting the bus
  • After you get off the bus, step away to a safer place, for example, a pavement, and wait until the bus leaves
  • If you want to cross the road after getting off the bus, walk at least 3 meters ahead. Then, wait for the school bus driver to signal you to cross
  • In case you drop something near the bus while getting down, do not pick it up immediately. Inform the driver first

Schools might have taken extra measures like School Bus Monitoring System to ensure school bus safety. Following the above-mentioned tips can help in strengthening it.

12 Reasons Why You Should Be Using School Bus GPS Tracking

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

The safety and convenience provided by school buses are quite rare. Fatalities caused by other automobiles are eight times higher compared to school buses.

There are a lot of factors that contribute to the safety of school buses. It’s shocking to know that, a child gets kidnapped or goes missing every 40 seconds. What are we waiting for? Let’s start with a splendid modern day technology that can ensure student safety.

Here are 12 awesome reasons why you should rely on GPS School bus Tracking System:

1. Safety At Its Best– Yes, it is. Ensuring security is a responsibility. Students often wait in bus stops, exposed to various dangers. The external dangers, bad weather and dangerous situations can be avoided with GPS. Notifying parents about the actual arrival time of the school bus minimizes the time children have to wait at the bus stop. It can be used 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

2. Time– Avoid planning routes manually with GPS tracking system. The information is automatically collected and reported reduces errors, and does the better planing. With GPS tracking systems, time and energy can be saved.

3. Regular Monitoring– Regular monitoring of the school bus can avoid delay. While the most comfortable route is granted by the GPS tracking system, noting the flaws and working on it can gain the confidence of parents. RFID monitors the children without fail. Parents can be clear the location of their children without much effort.

4. Better Maintenance– Allow better maintenance with GPS tracking system on school buses.  Accurate mileage calculation and speed limit management are possible with GPS tracking system. Know in advance about the bus service date and eliminate unwanted tension about remembering the maintenance of the bus. Battery recovery is available with accurate mileage calculation- another cost-saving method.

5. Environmental Accountability– The news is not something new to our generation. Air pollution has increased to a great extent due to our lifestyle. There are certain responsibilities towards our environment. GPS helps to optimize routing and track engine idling for minimizing the impact of a school bus on the environment. Reduce the emission of pollution and help the environment to stay green. Gift a better planet to the future.

6. Compact Yet Confident– Though the system provides a lot of services, it occupies only a little space. A typical GPS system is similar in dimensions to a mobile phone. The functioning of the whole system is simple. No space for complications. The RFID tags used to identify individual students are so small that they are used with the ID cards of students.

7. Cost-Savings– Reducing the cost is saving it. With GPS, more money can be saved. Operating the vehicle carefully can save a lot of maintenance expense and observing the speed limit and other safety measures can encourage parents to admit their children in school bus resulting in more profit for the department of transportation in school. By monitoring driving patterns, school authorities can control unnecessary expenses. GPS tracking systems are considered as anti-theft devices by most insurance companies. Insurance premium savings is an added advantage.

8. Monitoring Fuel Cost– School bus fleet managers can monitor and manage fuel cost of school buses by maintaining a track record of the routes and mileage that drivers take. Fleet managers can also ensure that the drivers are doing their work efficiently or not such as driving, staying on their scheduled routes and speed limits.

9. Tracking Driving Behaviour of Bus Driver– Fleet managers can keep the record regarding their driver’s behaviour with GPS fleet tracking. The device is capable enough to keep track of driving behaviours and patterns such as unnecessary speeding, hard braking, etc. It not only enhances the safety of passenger but also reduces costs.

10. Attendance Management– In most of the cases, these school bus tracking solutions also includes RFID tracking which helps to track students inside the school premises and also manage the school attendance system automatically. The RFID tracking provides precise attendance report. With this, parents receive alert messages if their kids go out during the school hours. Not only this much, school authorities also receive notification if any student is missing in class or enters any restricted areas.

11. Scheduling– School authorities and teachers can make effective and amazing schedules for their students if they would they come to know when the school bus will arrive and depart. This results in time management.  

12. Enhances Bus Driver Accountability– Parents tend to be always careful about who is taking care of their children outside the home such as babysitters, teachers etc. But what about school bus drivers?  This GPS tracking solution helps to monitor the activities of these drivers which results in ensuring the student safety.    

Are Our School Buses Safe Enough?

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

Are Our School Buses Safe Enough?

The statistics do not say so!

One of the recent school bus accidents that took place in India was that of a train colliding with a school bus in Telangana in July 2014. Twenty five students were killed in the mishap. While some blame the railway authorities for the unmanned railway crossing, over speeding and negligence by the bus driver cannot be ignored.

This is just one of the very large numbers of school bus accidents happening in the country every year. It is a fact that about 41% of all children who die in transport accidents every year are from India. It has also been reported that more than 70 children were dead and many more injured as a result of school bus accidents since January 2013.

School bus accidents and mishaps happen around the world. For instance, it was just few months ago that a four year old girl was suffocated to death in her school van in UAE. Unfortunately, the child had fallen asleep in the bus and the driver, without knowing that, had locked the van from outside. This was not the first time it happened. There were about 5 similar cases reported in UAE in the past 10 years.

Children are the future of our country and they don’t deserve to die at a tender age. Only if the school authorities could be a little more careful!

What has been done so far?

With a rise in accidents involving school buses, there have been rules made on school bus management by the concerned authorities in India to assure safety and secure ride for the students and for parents to let out a sigh of relief:

Installation of CCTV in school premises are made compulsory. The footage of the CCTV must be kept for 60 days and must be handed over to the police in case of any investigation purpose. 500 school bus cameras have been installed by the Bangalore Metropolitan Corporation. GPS has been declared compulsory by Central Board of Secondary Education.

School bus drivers are restricted to have interaction with students beyond a limit in school bus and socializing with students is also limited.

Entering school grounds are restricted to authorized people. Any person suspicious entering the school premises will be reported without fail.

ID cards are issued to parents, which must be bought while picking up their children. If they cannot come for picking up their children, an SMS must be send authorizing another person to pick them up.

In the early part of 2015, CBSE had taken an appreciable step to strengthen the security system and to ensure the safety of students. CBSE has made it mandatory for all school buses to have GPS installed in them. This helps the school authorities to track the location of the school bus and to take immediate actions in case of unscheduled bus stops. Previously, CBSE had made speed governors mandatory in school buses to prevent over speeding but only few schools obliged.

Schools should ensure that all rules and regulations in order to provide a safe journey for students are strictly followed. Use of School Bus Tracking Software can help parents and school authorities to keep an eye on school buses and about the performance of the driver can ensure school bus safety and avoid such incidents from repeating.

What can be done?

School bus incidents always end with a condolence note by the authorities and the announcement of compensation, nothing further. Most of the school bus related incidents happen due to the negligence of the school bus drivers or school authorities. Therefore, turning a blind eye towards the avoidable incidents is only going to affect the reputation of the school and hence it’s necessary to start thinking of solutions to prevent school bus incidents.

a) Make sure that parents accompany younger students to the bus stop

b) Ensure that the students board and alight from the bus only after the bus comes to a complete stop

c) Assign an employee in every bus to monitor the students and to ensure that no student had been left behind in the bus once it reaches the destination

d) Verify previous records of school bus drivers before hiring them

e) Device systems such as CCTV cameras and GPS systems should be installed in school buses to monitor the performance of school bus drivers and to ensure the safety of students

f) Train students to remain seated in the school bus throughout the journey to school or on the way back home

g) Conduct seminars or classes to school bus staff at least once every year to instil safe driving practices in them

 

Are these enough or do you think more measures can be taken? Please share your comments with us.

 

Why School Buses are the Safest Mode of Tranport for Students

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

Use of school buses to transport students from home to school is a century old practice and a very safe one too. From the "Kid Hacks" of the early 19th century to the "Class A" giants, the advance in safety and security has been remarkable.

With latest technologies and a number of laws, the concern of school bus accidents has been addressed effectively.

There have been minor glitches in school bus transportation over time. But technologies such as the GPS and RFID have made school buses the safest mode of transport for students. 

Statistics show that they are 7 times safer than a family car, 31 times safer than walking to school and 288 times safer than cycling to school.

So what would you prefer? If all this information hasn't convinced you, there is more! It is a fact that the modern day school buses use more technologies than your average car.

Technologies That Made School Buses the Safe Mode of Transport for Kids

  • The use of Kid Hacks to carry children from home to school and back dates back to as early as the 1930s. Even though they were not a technological marvel, the idea of school kids being safely transported in a closed vehicle gave parents a sense of relief. More over it prevented the kids from walking long distances and hence keeping them fresh for school.
  • With a new age came new challenges. Time was crucial and the then popular carts were slow as they were drawn by horses. This led to the replacement of these horse-drawn wooden carts with automobiles. The invention of the automobile engine was a technology that sparked a huge change in the outlook of school buses.
  • With increase in the number of automobiles on road, the issues of road accidents were becoming a menace. This forced the school bus manufacturing companies to focus more on the safety measures on board a school bus. As part of this, the wooden vehicle body was replaced by all metal ones.
  • To further add to the safety, guard rails and shatter-proof glasses were used on these buses.
  • Followed by this, strobe lights, reflective strips and even seat belts were introduced.
  • Safety was the primary concern when technologies such as speed monitors and CCTV cameras were brought into the school buses. This made monitoring the driver and his driving habits very easy.
  • The next big technological advancement came in the form of school bus GPS tracking systems and Wi-Fi enabled buses. GPS made tracking buses and monitoring drivers even easier. The routes could be planned before a trip and made sure that the buses followed these paths. Also, documentation was made easy with real-time monitoring.
  • In an age where parents have very less to no time at all because of a tight work related schedule, a GPS tracker helps them keep an eye on their kids from anywhere on the planet. All they need is a hand-held mobile phone with a school bus tracking software that helps them with the tracking.

Laws Which Help Tackle Accidents

Have you ever wondered why school buses always come in yellow? The answer is quite simple. This has been made an international standard and is used so that other drivers may easily identify these buses. There are numerous similar laws in place to protect school buses from accidents. Some of them are given below.

  • Other vehicles must maintain a minimum distance from a school bus and must also slow down when in a school zone.
  • Other drivers must wait for the school buses to load and unload.
  • The words “School Bus” must be shown in front as well as behind the school bus.
  • The driver of a school bus must follow a strict code of conduct. They must drive the buses within the specified speed limits and should refrain from driving under the influence of drug or alcohol.
  • The drivers should also avoid making unnecessary stops.
  • Buses that use CCTV cameras must preserve the video footages for a span of at least 3 months.

Apart from keeping students safe, technologies have also helped in many other ways. Pollution – a major concern for the new world is controlled to some extent by bringing technology into transportation.

The use of electric or propane-based school buses has helped reduce the number of personal vehicles on the road. The above mentioned aspects can indeed prove that school buses are the safest mode of transport for students.  

The Surprisingly Interesting History of RFID You Should Know About

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

Who would refuse an efficient and reliable way to collect and store data at affordable rates? Smart technology makes life easy and exciting. RFID is one among those inventions that has revolutionized the life style of many.

It is a fact that Radio frequency identification (RFID) is an integral part in our life. Productivity and convenience are taken to the next level by the system. RFID tags are becoming so intricately sewed into our society that an average person probably experiences it every day without realizing.

Few uses of RFID

  • Student tracking and enuring their safety
  • Tracking products
  • Payment of road toll
  • Passports
  • Identification of the movents of animals and humans
  • Library books
  • Shipments of materials

Fascinating history behind RFID

The invention of RFID has got a fascinating history of its own. It was not a sudden invention. The seed of RFID dates back to 1800s

1800s

  • Fundamental understanding about electrical energy began
  • 1846 –  Michael Faraday proposed that light and radio waves are a form of electromagnetic energy
  • 1864 – James Clerk Maxwell published theory of electromagnetic radiation
  • 1887 – Heinrich Rudolf Hertz was the first person to transmit and receive radio waves
  • 1896 – Guglielmo Marconi sends first Atlantic wireless transmission

1920s

  • As a technology, Radar was developed in U.S
  • RFID which is a combination or radio broadcast was developed soon after

1930s

  • In order to distinguish enemy aircraft during WWII an IFF transponder, a related technology was used by Britain

1940s

     RFID was invented

  • Refined Radar
  • “Communication by Means of Reflected Power” was published by Harry Stockman, exploring RFID

1950s

Full fledged research and development on RFID

  • In laboratories technologies related to RFID were explored
  • Long-range transponder systems for aircrafts were designed

1960s

  • R.F. Harrington studied electromagnetic theory related to RFID
  • Inventors began to use radio frequency technology to devices in market beyond military purpose
  • Electronic Article Surveillance,  a simple and affordable equipment used to counter theft was developed
  • “1-bit tags” meant that Electronic Article Survelliance systems could detect only the presence or absence of the tag
  • The first and till date, most popular use of RFID technology is represented by Electronic Article Survelliance

1970s

  • Researchers including academic institutions, government laboratories  and companies began to work hard on the development of RFID technology
  • Electronic toll collection, animal and vehicle tracking, and factory automation were the aim behind the hard work
  • The first U.S patent was received by Mario W. Cardullo on January 23, 1973  for an active RFID tag

1980s

  • RFID technology were implemented fully
  • Europe and U.S applied the RFID system in transportation, business applications and animal tracking

1990s

  • RFID was used widespread
  • Companies and consumers began to use RFID widely around the globe
  • RFID was used to keep traffic flowing at toll collection system in 1992 at Houston, Texas

2000s

  • RFID enhancement
  • The cost of RFID began to decline
  • RFID began to be used in official documents like Passports
  • From 2005 RFID technologies are widely used in almost all industrial

 2008, the number of devices connected to the Internet exceeded the number of people on Earth

How Important is the School Bus Driver?

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

Each individual connected with the school contributes something to the organization that keeps it going. When it’s about the safety of children inside schools, school guards protects them and when it’s about their safety outside the school, school bus drivers serves the best.

School bus is indeed a safety measure for students. They are dependable resources for better safety. There are a lot of factors that makes school buses different from any other means of transport. The school bus driver plays a crucial role in the safe management of school buses. Handling children and school bus requires skill and efficiency.

Many school bus drivers often feel that they are not appreciated and sometimes are disrespected too. It is important to respect and value them. Children should be taught to respect the school drivers. They take the responsibility of carrying children safe. Students must be taught about the contributions that school bus drivers hold.

Job description of school bus drivers

School bus drivers manage the task of picking up of students from stops and dropping them off at school. They also transport students and faculty to field trips or sporting events. School bus drivers often work split shifts of mornings and afternoons. They hold a very important responsibility of safe transportation of the students.

Responsibilities of a driver

  • A good driver is a person who carries out his/ her duties without fail and is dependable
  • Emotionally stable, so that they can efficiently carry out the relationship between parents, students, school officials and public
  • Managing unexpected and unusual situation
  • Taking in to consideration the welfare and need of others
  • Patience and understanding
  • Traffic laws must be respected and followed
  • Local rules and regulations must be keenly followed
  • Neat and clean appearance
  • Free from alcohol and drugs
  • Any bus malfunctions or needed repairs must be reported
  • Delays, accidents, or other traffic and transportation situations should be reported to the school authorities using telephones or mobile two-way radios
  • The condition of tires, brakes, windshield wipers, lights, oil, fuel, water, and safety equipment of the vehicle should be evaluated to ensure that everything is in working order.
  • Follow the traffic rules keenly without fail
  • Take care of children while boarding
  • Keep students and school authority informed of possible delays
  • Keep updated about the weather condition
  • Contact police in case of emergency
  • Help disabled children to get in and out of the bus
  • Bus drivers should keep the record of children boarding bus

Responsibility of schools

There are numerous responsibilities to the schools too. They have the power to provide information to school bus drivers and make them aware of their responsibilities. Also, in a similar way, they would be able to make children and parents aware of the importance of school bus drivers.

  1. At the start of the academic year, hold a meeting with the school bus drivers discussing about their guidelines
  2. Provide drivers the list of the students travelling in their bus. The details must include home phone number of the students and address. The driver can contact the parents of the students directly if there is any problem with the students
  3. Students must be well-aware about the rules and regulations regarding the school bus. A signed document agreeing to follow the rules inside school buses must be taken from the students
  4. The outcome of breaking rules must be made clear to the students
  5. Any student breaking rules should be punished
  6. Students wit four or more suspension order received due to misbehaving or breaking ruled in school bus, shall not be eligible for travelling in the school bus
  7. Misbehaviour inside the school bus, including fight should be given appropriate punishments

Do not ignore drivers

Driving is a job that requires lot of professionalism and care. There are myriad of commitments which must be showcased towards the organization and students. Drivers play an important role in shaping up the good-will of the institution. They must be respected and treated with equal rights and concern.

School Bus – From Simple Wagons to GPS Tracking

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

The use of a vehicle to transport children from their homes to schools dates back to the later part of the 19th century. In those days, there was no Wi-Fi or GPS tracking systems in buses. And these weren’t the buses as we see it now. Rather, they were simple wagons. They were popularly called “kid hacks”; Hacks referring to a kind of horse-drawn carriage.

It was by the early 1900s that motorized school buses came into existence. But these were just trucks with tarpaulin drawn over them.

The concept of “enclosed school buses”

This was introduced during the 1920s. Along with that glass windows replaced tarps, which were common at that time. Slowly, school buses started making an identity for themselves.

Yellow-orange school buses

A century since the first ever school took onto the roads, the technology that a school bus uses now is quite advanced. The school bus looks were standardized so they could be easily recognized in public. For instance, it was decided that the colour of school buses would be yellow-orange, as it was the most visible colour during the school bus working hours (at dawn and dusk). This has been widely accepted in most countries as either a part or whole of the buses is painted yellow.

Modern buses are significantly advanced from the first “enclosed school buses”. It is provided with cameras that can record video as well as audio. This was introduced to monitor activities of students inside the bus. Some countries also use more than one camera with at least one placed outside of the school bus. Some schools around the world have also started using Wi-Fi enabled buses and GPS tracking system.

Important Events Throughout History

  • In 1827, the first school bus drawn by horse was introduced. The first school bus driver was George Schillibeer for Quaker school in London. It was designed to carry not more than 25 students.
  • The company Wayne Works were the first in the United States to make school buses in 1886. These were mostly farm wagons used to transport children from the rural areas to schools. In extreme northern climates, sleds were also used.
  • In 1914, automobile chassis were introduced to replace the “kid hacks” by Wayne Works.
  • 1927 saw the introduction of an all steel body for buses.
  • The closest relatives of the modern buses with glass windows in the passenger area were introduced in 1930. “California top” was the name given to them.
  • The earliest recorded use of traffic warning lights on school buses was around 1946.
  • In 1959 the very first rear-engine diesel-power school buses were built.
  • The 1980s and 1990s were marked by the introduction of reflective stripping, LED and strobe lights.

The Modern School Buses

The 21st century was more focussed on child safety issues and on tracking school buses throughout its journey. This called for new technologies to be used in school buses. The most revolutionary inventions of this era would be Wi-Fi capability and GPS trackers. GPS tracking has helped to avert accidents and allow easy documentation. Its capability of providing real-time data has greatly improved responsiveness to adverse situations.

Now school buses also come with Wi-Fi systems. Students find this useful since they are powered by the Internet. They can do assignments and work on projects en route to school or home. Teachers can also communicate with their students with the advent of Wi-Fi.

What the school buses would be 50 years from now is quite uncertain. With each new decade comes a new revelation in technology. But the use of GPS and Wi-Fi are certainly here to stay for a very long time.