Category: For School Districts

Is Bus Route Optimization the Perfect Solution to Save Money

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

For years, school authorities delved for a solution to save money on their transportation expenses. Nevertheless, it was found that bus route optimization is the excellent solution to curtail expenses in relation to school transportation. And the real question is how to perform bus route optimization?

Lets' have a glimpse of it….

What is bus route optimization?

Actually, what is bus route optimization? Bus route optimization is the technique by which we find the most appropriate route on the basis of school assignments, current bus stops, timing, and bus loads. Consequently, route optimization helps to enhance the school bus fleet efficiency.

Due to its cost saving benefits, several schools are seriously considering route optimization. However, by effective arrangement of school bus routes, you will be able to lessen fuel costs, idling hours, and staffing by taking into consideration of safety concerns, school transportation policies, and road related disasters.

Incidentally, earlier route optimization was performed with the outdated wall maps, but the innovative modern technologies has made the task simple. Moreover, schools are utilizing the school bus routing software for optimizing their routes.

What is a bus routing software?

A school bus routing software consists of tools that assists you automatically generate ideal routes for your trip, on the basis of the users' criteria. Hereafter, these routes are interpreted against the current route for figuring out whether further logical alternatives exist or not.

Meanwhile, the routing software considers the school bus turns, stop locations,   height and weight limitations based on the administered right sided pick-ups, and vehicle size.  In addition, there are software that determines the most appropriate stop location for each student as per the boundary details, walk-to-stop distances, and enrollment details.

Why is bus route optimization essential?

The prime goal of bus route optimization is to lower the number of drivers and school buses running on a particular route. Moreover, you can save money by controlling the fuel and staffing expenses as minimal as possible.

Another significant benefit associated with a bus routing software is that it ensures student safety. How? Of course, the routing software is an advanced measure towards student security, by considering stop location, avoiding the areas resided by criminals, and  danger zones.

Here's a video on how automatic route optimization works for school bus tracking:

 

Key areas the bus routing software address to:

  • Recruit a transportation coordinator

A transportation coordinator is a person, who is bestowed with the responsibility to handle school transportation related needs. Usually, office staffs in a school handle the issues related to school bus transportation.

Ironically, by appointing a transportation coordinator, issues of several office staffs will be resolved (as handling the school transportation issues involves more risk than one imagine). Moreover, this is indeed the benefit of a bus routing software as single user is able to control the whole operations of school  transportation.

  • Review and validate student data

This is indeed a crucial element in a routing software as the student data you enter should be exact, otherwise the software may provide wrong pick up and drop point of a school bus student. Hence, it is wise to check out whether the current address and contact information of a student is correctly updated or not (be extra vigilant in case of special needs transportation).

  • Ensure the maps are up-to-date

As roads are changing constantly, mapping software systems have a fairly long delay for new map releases. Therefore, it is necessary to update the map every six months for enhancing the routing efficiency.

  • Generate a report

Generating a report with a synopsis of the current transportation and student expenses provide you a perfect standard for apprehending future improvements and budget savings. Based on these improvements, you will be able to manifest the Return on Investment (ROI) of your routing software and thereby, devise a new strategy for future upgrades.

  • Planning for the future

No doubt, routes will change in the future. And hence, considering these changes is vital as the bus routing software will be able to avoid hazardous areas, or the areas planning for expansion. Consequently, the modern software considers these hypothetical scenarios and thus perform route planning.

Beneficial features of school bus routing software

Ordinarily, schools install software only when they possess a thorough understanding of its features. Here follows certain features that actually enhance the school transportation:

  • Add and modify bus stops, travel constraints, and new roads
  • Assign school bus stops automatically on the basis of the user specified walk-to-stop distance
  • Allot right-sided pickup points for students
  • Scheduling alternative pick-up point and drop point
  • Bus pass creation
  • Calendar storage
  • Obtain historical data regarding student and bus routing for reporting
  • Locate areas of criminals or sex offenders
  • Customization options

As a matter of fact, utilizing the modern school bus routing software enables the school transportation authorities to ensure superior student safety.   In addition, you will be able to save money and boost the efficiency of a school bus. Therefore, installing the software is the excellent solution for accomplishing the goals of school bus transportation.

How to Handle Students with Autism in a School Bus?

Posted on by Trackschoolbus SEO

 

While arranging transport services for children with special needs you need to initiate an extra precaution, provide ample care and consideration to  students, especially for those with autism. Parents rely on school bus authorities for providing an emotionally and physically safe environment for their adorable kids.

Even a little support and compassion from your side can create wonders in special need students. When adults understand, the nature of disability and mindset of a kid, it will be easier to teach them about the importance of school bus transportation.

The kids with autism will be easily agitated, and confused during the school bus trip. Due to this fear and confusion, it may result in troublesome and challenging behavior. For this reason, you can execute certain strategies that will be helpful for addressing the issues ofstudents with special needs.

What is the nature of autism?

Children with autism face difficulty in accepting and constituting social relationships. Too much sensory input and communication will be difficult for children suffering from autism. Furthermore, kids with autism act in a socially inappropriate, bizarre, or immature manner. Often, you may have heard people say, “He/she has no social skills”, “He/she is strange and “he/she done it purposely”, etc. Actually, the truth is that the child has autism. 

How to teach them  proper behavior?

Autistic kids may not possess pertinent skills that assist them to be successful in the society. Of course, a school bus and schools are indeed a part of society. Sometimes, your indifferent attitude to them can create uneasiness and depression in them. They may at times have certain perplexing questions in their mind such as “Why should I travel today also?”(as they board the school bus again), “What will happen if the driver lost the way?”, etc.

All you need is a little patience to teach them on a repertory of social skills and behaviors. You can teach them about how to establish a positive relationship with their fellow beings, how to avoid misconduct in a school bus, etc.

The following is a list of tips that can be useful for you in teaching autistic students:

  • Teach the student on observing the peer's or teacher's non-verbal behavior, what it indicates, and respond to it accordingly
  • Autistic students should compulsorily be taught about commencing a conversation with others, effectively develop the conversation (give and take), and how to politely wind up the conversation
  • You can inculcate in them the quality of social cognition, how to accept other's perception and recognise it properly. Tell them it may be challenging for you if you are not attempting to grasp others' perspective, and the world out there
  • Teach them about the “hidden curriculum” such how to handle an unfriendly situation, how to safely exit the bus, how to control their excitement while talking about their favourite subjects, or how to be flexible with the sudden route change or schedule changes
  • You should teach them about the usage of coarse idioms and metaphors. For example, if your colleague says, “See you later punk”, the child should understand that “punk” is an unpleasant word
  • Teach the appropriate bus riding skills: how to patiently wait in the queue, board the school bus, and apply the seat belts. Guide them how to appear an evacuation drill, the relevance of organizing it, wheelchairs on the school bus are acceptable, etc.

Academic and social skills: Know the difference between them

Suppose, a child has brilliant academic records (high scores in exams, competitions, extracurricular activities, etc.) but at the same time, they may lack social skills. This is the scenario of a child suffering from Asperger's syndrome or higher functioning autism. They may not have an awareness on providing privacy to others, bullying attitude of others, the other person dislikes you, etc. Meanwhile, even simple affairs such as building a positive relationship, understanding the complicated situations, etc. may be a difficult   case for them.

Teachings based on the child's social failure

Observe them closely and recognise the social behavior that they are actually lacking from others. Sometimes the child may not have an understanding “my space” and “your space”, you can provide an awareness of it to the kid with sufficient patience, care and consideration. Sure, they will try to understand it.

In addition, teach them the difference between jokes and cruel taunts. Consequently, ask them to report to school authorities whenever they fall victim to any sort of teasing. And, ensure that they have an understanding of the disparity between general school bus safety rules and the rules in times of emergencies.

As a matter of fact, autistic students are never rude or ill-mannered, they are just special. Provide them a little concern and consideration, then surely, they can come out of their shell and become one of you. After all, they too deserve to travel along with you, sit beside you, and worthy of interaction.

Scope of RFID School Bus Tracking Systems in Security Measures at Schools

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

Nancy was a smart girl. She belonged to an upper middle-class family. Every day, without fail, her mother collected Nancy after her school bus drops her at the bus stop. One day, it so happened that Nancy’s grandmother fell ill and in the ensuing hassle, her mother forgot to pick her up from the bus stop. By the time her mother realized this and reached the bus stop, Nancy went missing.

It was a depressing situation for the whole family. Luckily her id card was embedded with an RFID tag. Combined with school bus tracking system, the tag helped the police officials to trace her whereabouts.

She was being carried to a far off place by a stranger. Nancy was rescued by the police officials and was handed over to her mother safely. The stranger who abducted Nancy later confessed that, he did that for ransom.

Around the globe, children are subjected to lots of such atrocities. Parents around the world are always concerned about such  dangers. The only way to escape danger is to prevent them. Technology has brought with it a lot of possibilities to do that.

Recommended Read:

Why RFID Is Going to Be The Next Big Thing In Inventory Management?

RFID school bus tracking system is a smart technological invention that has gifted parents with added confidence. With RFID, ensuring the safety of your loved ones has become easier.

Know about Automatic Identification

Automatic Identification, known as auto-ID for short, is a term given to the technology that is used to help machines in order to identify people or object.

Automatic data capture is often coupled with auto identification. It is an all-rounder that identifies items, gains information about them and transfers the collected data into computer without the involvement of the employees.

The system is mainly used in order to collect error-free data.  The system increases efficiency and makes staff members available for other functions resulting in more productivity.

Bar codes, smart cards, voice recognition, some biometric technologies, optical character recognition, and radio frequency identification (RFID) are the technologies that fall under the shade of auto-ID umbrella.

What is RFID?

Radio frequency identification or RFID for short is the broad term given to the technology that uses radio waves to automatically identify people or objects.

What is RFID

Identification can be made by a number of methods, but the normal method is to store a serial number that identifies a person or object on a microchip that is attached to an antenna (the chip and the antenna together are called an RFID transponder or an RFID tag).

The chip transmits the identification information to a reader. The antenna enables the chip to transmit the information. The radio waves reflected back from the RFID tag is converted into digital information that can then be passed on to computers for utilizing it efficiently.

Scope of RFID in schools

The worse nightmare a parent can have is losing their child. However, a little care can make a lot of difference. RFID tags are already attached to a lot of products we buy.

Using it with the id card of your child can fetch a lot of benefits. RFID can be equipped for the simple reason that it lets the parents have peace of mind.

• Automatically checking the attendance details of children

Checking the attendance details of children manually requires a lot of time and energy.

With RFID school bus tracking system, the details are automatically entered. The accurate attendance details can thus be obtained.

• Parents or guardians get notified about children’s activities/whereabouts automatically and on time 

The activities of the children are notified to the parents without fail. Performance tracking is possible that can result in the over-all development of the child. RFID tag helps in removing uncertainty.

• Can be used in library and canteen

The tag can be used for making things like borrowing books from library simple, orderly and clear. Through the tag, details of the book can be stored in the system, making the job of librarian much easier.

Using the tag in canteen eliminates the need of carrying money and thus, lets the parents have peace of mind.

• The system monitors when and where each student gets on or off a school bus

The accurate location of children can be monitored by parents using RFID school bus tracking systems. This provides great relief to parents.

Tracking the physical location of children creates an extraordinarily detailed portrait of a child’s school day.

The over-all activity of the child can be monitored through the system anytime, anywhere, by the parents.

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How can RFID Technology Help Library Management

Reasons to Rely on Better Security

It is found that a child is abducted or goes missing every 40 seconds, i.e.

  • Hourly 90
  • Daily 2160
  • Weekly 15120
  • Monthly 64800
  • Yearly 786240

Out of the children kidnapped in United States

  • 40% are killed
  • 4% are never found
  • 75% of the parents fear that their children might get kidnapped
  • 33% parents experience the fear of losing their child more than any other fear
  • 69,000 of the 800,000 children reported as missing are abducted annually, 12,000 of these abductions were committed by the non-family perpetrators and 37% by total strangers for the victim
  • In 82% of the cases, the culprit is a family member
  • Most of the abductions happen within a quarter mile of the victim’s home

Random Facts about Abduction

1.  Girls make up ¾th of the victims of non-family abductions
2.  More than 1 of every 5 children reported as abducted are found dead
3.  Out of the dead children found after abduction, 74% were dead within 3 hours of the abduction
4.  Most of the victims are grabbed on the street by the kidnapper or lured to their vehicle

In today’s hectic life, parents are unable to monitor their child’s movements. The RFID system can be of great help them in such situations.

With this technology, student tracking is possible and thus helps to enhance their safety. Also, by using RFID technology, you will be able to generate accurate attendance reports.

In these ways, the application of RFID improves the overall efficiency of schools.

15 Splendid Ways to Reduce Fuel Cost [For School Buses]

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

To run any institution, fuel cost is about 30% of the total cost. So it is high time to think seriously about ways to manage fuel cost. It is a common need for every institution.

If we gave proper attention and took necessary precautions, we will be able to reduce school bus fuel cost to an extent. There are advanced technologies such as GPS School Bus Tracking systems to reduce fuel cost.

Here are some effective methods to reduce fuel cost:

1. Educate the Drivers: Make them realize that they can make a big difference in reducing the cost of fuel consumption. Let them know that reducing the amount of fuel consumption will ensure their job security and provide a better environment.

You must teach them how their driving has a major role in reducing fuel consumption cost.

2. Monitor the Route before Starting the Trip: Having a clear idea of your assigned route will help you to minimize the gear changes which results in reducing fuel consumption cost.

With the help of school bus tracking system, the driver can get a clear picture of the route which makes the driving easy. And also it helps the drivers to take the shortest path by avoiding blocks and all.

3. Speed Limits: Over speeding have several negative impacts on your vehicle’s engine and fuel cost. And moreover, it increases the risk of accidents. With the help of school bus tracking apps, you can get instant notification if the bus is running in over speed.

4. Lessen the Number of Gear Changes: Reduce the number of gear changes by thoroughly studying the routes and traffic with the help of school bus tracking system. Too much gear changes will drastically increase the consumption of fuel.

5. Avoid Overfilling: Don’t overfill the fuel tank as it can create fuel wastage. Filling fuel up to the edge of the fuel tank will easily cause overflow when the fuel gets heated either by sun or fuel return by the engine.

Thus, overfilling is dangerous as well as can cause fuel wastage which results in reducing unwanted fuel consumption cost.

6. Keep the Tires Inflated Properly: School bus tires should be inflated properly. Properly inflated tires can reduce the risk of accidents and extends the life of tire. It also improves fuel economy. So, before you start a trip, ensure that the tires are inflated properly.

7. Avoid Unwanted Idling: Surplus idling can consume a huge amount of fuel within a short span of time. With the help of fleet tracking with GPS, you can monitor and control unnecessary idling. This is also a good way of reducing the amount of fuel consumption and thus cost.

8. Do Proper Maintenance: You should maintain the vehicle properly as avoiding regular maintenance can affect your vehicle’s mileage. Proper and routine maintenance can make your bus the most fuel efficient school bus.

9. Make Use of Telecommunication Technologies: You can stop the use of school bus in any route if the student whose pickup point is on that route is on leave that day.

It can be done by informing the driver with the help of Driver Console App integrated with the school bus tracking system. This can reduce fuel consumption.

10. Reduce Wind Resistance: Don’t keep bags on the top of the bus instead keep all the bags inside the school bus. Keeping on the top can reduce the fuel efficiency by creating resistance to the wind flow. So, avoiding this can save a huge amount of fuel consumption.

11. Be ready in Advance for the Morning Trip: Before stopping the bus after the trip, do the necessary things required for the next trip. So that you don’t have to do a lot of planning before starting the trip with a cold engine as it can have lot of fuel consumption.

12. Lessen the Time Spend on Road: If possible set up a carpool system with co-workers. Limit the amount of unwanted trips as if you want to go nearby place then prefer walking. This can reduce unwanted fuel consumption.

13. No Personal Use: If you are school bus driver, then use the school bus for school purposes only not for your personal use. Avoiding personal use can also reduce fuel consumption and thus your bus can be fuel efficient school bus.

14. Lessen the Number of Bus Used: Operating more number of buses require more fuel and maintenance as compared to other vehicles.

By lessening the number of buses used can reduce a considerable amount of fuel consumption and its cost. This can be done through effective planning.

15. Try Different Fuels: Trying out different fuels is also a way to save money as some fuels are proficient but some are less expensive.

7 Reasons School Bus Drivers Play a Vital Role in Student Safety

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

When it comes to school kids, everyone believes parents, teachers or his/her friends to be people who play the prime role in their lives. Seldom are the school bus drivers given credit for the work that they do. Being a guide for students from home to school and back was the duty of a bus driver of the past. His role has changed over the years and he is now one of the most important entities in a student’s life. A GPS tracking system along with a well trained driver has proved to be useful in more than one occasion.

 Just How Important is the Bus Driver?

  1. Drivers act as the link between school authority and the students outside of the school campus via the GPS tracker app. A driver helps to record and inform on students behavior on the bus. This way the school’s reputation is kept intact as the school is able to take disciplinary actions. With the help of a GPS school bus tracking system, he can do this in real-time.
  2. Drivers are the first line of defense against the smuggling of unwanted materials into the campus by the students. Drivers also act as security for students outside of the campus. While using a bus, the student’s life depends on how the driver conducts himself while driving.
  3. Drivers could provide orientation to new students. A driver can explain to students about the procedures and mode of operations of a school, thereby giving them prior idea of how the school functions.
  4. Drivers are the school’s eyes on the road. Hence they can notify the school authority about traffic blocks and other issue with the use of an effective school bus tracking system. This could help the schools to alert other bus accordingly to stay away from the informed routes.
  5. In some cases, drivers may know more about a student than the teachers. Teachers may teach a student for a few classes but a bus driver may have driven the same student for years through the same route.
  6. A driver’s network runs deeply through a society so his conduct is important as it reflects the values and virtues of the school administration in the public.
  7. A student first meets the driver in a day. So the driver is responsible for imparting positive atmosphere to the student so that his day begins on a positive note.

It is clear that a school bus driver has several duties entitled to him/her. Moreover the schools must also provide the driver with adequate training in order to handle different situations that he may have to face when on duty.

What Training Can Schools Give to Improve Driver’s Capabilities?

  • School vehicle drivers must be given training to manage the students on board the bus. Without the supervision of a teacher, or some other school authority, the children may misbehave. Hence such training will help the drivers become self-sufficient.
  • Drivers should be given an annual driving test to know if they are up to the mark. Moreover he must also be given a monthly psychological evaluation to ensure he is of a sound mind and is stress free. Regular health examinations are also a must. A driver of sound mind and body can ensure better student safety.
  • A driver must be trained to handle students of different age groups. Every student belonging to a different age group has different needs. A driver must be capable of realizing this and must act accordingly.
  • He should also be given special training to take care of disabled students, if the situation arises.
  • A driver should also be capable of handling hazardous situations like accidents, fire and so on, as his quick responses could turn out to be a life saver.

In the present scenario, where a lot of questions are frequently posed to student safety, the driver can play a pivotal role in helping the parents and teachers to take care of their wards.