Category: General

10 Quick Tips to Manage Your Fleet More Efficiently

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

Fleet management is not at all an easy task. However, a few right steps by the fleet managers can give big results. While managing a school bus fleet, you have to look into all aspects of it like school bus safety, cost management, driver accountability, etc.

School bus tracking software can help you out in this. It takes just a few smart strategies to manage your school bus fleet efficiently.

Here are certain quick tips for you to manage your fleet efficiently:

1. Technology

You can make use of technology to lessen your efforts. School Bus Tracking software can help in managing fleets efficiently by analysing fuel consumption, reducing costs in terms of fuel and labour, and in ensuring school bus safety.

2. Enhance Productivity

Inefficient planning of school bus routes and poor performance by drivers can increase fuel consumption and can be a threat to school bus safety. If buses do not reach destinations in time, the school’s reputation will suffer. School bus fleet tracking allows fleet managers to track school bus fleet and improve routing and planning.

This can help them to keep track of the school bus drivers’ performance and help improve the drivers’ productivity. It allows drivers to manage their time and reach places without delay.

3. Remind Drivers of their Responsibility

School bus drivers are an important part of a school. However, at times, they can cause problems that can affect the reputation of their school. Therefore, it is necessary to make the drivers aware of their responsibilities.

Using a School Bus Tracking Software can help you track the performance of the school bus drivers. When they know that they are being watched, there are chances that the drivers would be ready to take up responsibilities.

You can thus eliminate problems like unnecessary fuel consumption, inappropriate vehicle use etc. Better driving habits will result in lesser accidents, moving violations and vehicle wear and tear. Also, you can guarantee enhanced school bus safety.

4. Maintain School Bus Fleet on Time

When a school bus breaks down, it takes days to repair it. It can cost the school lots of money and time. Also, you have to substitute another bus on the same route. This can cause delay in the school bus reaching the destined stops in time.

Here, you can use School Bus Tracking Software to monitor the school bus fleet and to schedule the maintenance. Maintenance at the right time can help you avoid unwanted costly breakdowns.

Also, buy and store vehicle parts in advance. It will be helpful during times of unplanned repair.

5. Meet Expectations

It is not easy for a school to maintain its reputation. Every aspect of the school has to be taken care of, to meet people’s expectation. You can integrate technology into school bus fleet management to make things easier and accurate.

For example, you can use a School Bus Tracking Software to track the location of the school bus and performance of the drivers. Thus, you can avoid any kind of anomalies and ensure the safety of students. Also, you can cut-down costs of school in terms of fuel and labour.

6. Fuel Card

You can negotiate in terms of money by directly contacting with a fuel card provider. This will reduce the fuel consumption cost to a larger extent. This also plays a major role in better fleet management.

7. Go Paperless

Reports, permission slips, route maps, student detail were once used to do manually. But luckily, now all these can be stored in the cloud. By doing this, you can easily find the details if needed in the future. This will help you in managing your fleets efficiently as having easy and quick access to details saves time always.

8. Parent’s Satisfaction

Usually parents want the school transport to be safe, comfortable and punctual. But unpredicted traffic in the route can cause delay to reach the assigned bus stops on scheduled time.

This issue can come to an end with school bus tracking system as this system is integrated with parent app with which parents can track real-time location of their kid’s school bus.

9. Lessen Idle Time

Unnecessary idling can waste fuel and increases fleet maintenance costs. There are many things which help to reduce idle time such as turning off the engines when the vehicles are not in motion, obeying anti-idling rules, etc. Reduce the idle time can help you in maintaining the fleet efficiently. 

10. Secure your Fleet Drivers

Positive driving habits can improve safety of the fleet driver. Now you can monitor driver behaviour including issues such as hard braking, over speeding etc with the fleet manager app integrated with school bus tracking system.

With this you can reduce fuel costs and can also reduce the risk of accidents resulting in a better fleet management.

Effective fleet management can help you cut down the extra costs. Lower costs can help in improving the revenue which you can invest in other areas of the school.

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.  

How GPS Tracking Can Influence a School’s Reputation

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

Parents always want their children to be admitted to the most reputed ones. Most schools put forward eye-catching curriculums, infrastructure and even hire the most technically qualified faculties each year to attract parents and children.

But is that enough?

Parents are now looking for schools that can provide more. Here comes the role of GPS tracking systems to help schools to raise their reputations to a whole new level.

A quality GPS tracking system can help schools in a number of ways. The primary reason being the additional safety and security it provides for students both on and off the campus.

From keeping track of a student’s or a school bus’ location to knowing the fuel efficiency for trips, GPS tracking systems are more than useful. They help reduce fuel consumption, thereby providing profit to schools and fleet companies.

A GPS tracking system can be used by schools to instigate confidence in parents, who are worried about their children’s safety.

But how can such a technology help build a school’s reputation?

Here it is…

1. As said before, the GPS tracking system can give complete visibility of the fleet and children. This helps the school to directly monitor the driver as well as its students. The school can check if the buses follow the routes that have been allotted to them, thereby keeping an eye on the driver.

Moreover, the drivers can also communicate with the school authority. This could come in handy in case of misbehaviour by children. A student’s discipline directly influences the reputation of a school.

The society sees him as the upholder of the ethics and virtues of the school to which he belongs to. This makes monitoring them very important.

2. It can also help schools to build their reputation among parents. This can be done by addressing the key concerns raised by them and the greatest one being student safety.

A GPS tracker along with an RFID card can help parents and schools to keep an eye on their children. The data provided is in real-time, which makes GPS highly reliable.

3. A GPS tracking system makes the school buses environment-friendly. Considerable reduction in pollution helps the school to be socially accepted as it is a service to the society.

4. It also helps build trust with the drivers. Besides tracking, a school bus tracking system helps in the documentation. It stores data such as driver work hours. This helps to maintain transparency.

Using a GPS tracking system also reduces the requirement of a dedicated resource for documentation. As the process takes place in real-time, it becomes a lot faster too.

5. It helps to track and reduce fuel costs of school bus fleets by keeping a track record of mileage and routes that driver takes. Not only this, transport managers can monitor driver’s behaviour while riding the bus and can ensure that they are on their scheduled route at the scheduled time. This will also reduce the risk of accidents.

6. This helps schools in improving scheduling for students by keeping a track of when the school bus will arrive and depart. With this school authorities can create schedules for their students more effectively. This will result in better time management.

7. Using GPS tracking technology, school authorities can maintain a detailed, efficient and accurate track record of all the essential details of school bus fleet and students. This helps the authorities to manage the school bus fleet in a well and an effective manner along with ensuring student safety.

8. With the help of GPS tracking technology, abduction of children can be avoided to an extreme level.  As it is integrated with RFID cards which they have to swipe while boarding and deboarding the bus and when they swipe it, school authorities and parents will get the notification.

Not only this, both the school authorities as well as the parents track whether the bus is travelling in the scheduled route or not.

9. Implementing GPS tracking system in school buses will be a great move for every school. As in case of any emergencies such as traffic block or any mishaps in the route, school authorities will get notification which helps them to take the necessary step to tackle the issue.

10. It will help to perform regular maintenance of school bus fleets as it sends regular reports regarding fleets to concerned persons. And also helps to know if the fleet is ready to use or not.

The reports can be customized so that the transport managers can schedule the maintenance easily.

The Amazing Evolutional Story of GPS Tracking

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

To figure out their position on earth and navigate, people once depended on different ways that are quite unimaginable in this digital era. It must be astonishing for today’s generation to imagine that mariners relied on methods ranging from angular measurements to positioning of celestial bodies for calculating their location. Radionavigation was the first ever modern technique used in order to calculate the exact location.

GPS was initially prepared for military purpose, and then its service was extended to various fields. GPS has proved itself to be one among the smartest inventions ever made. Now GPS has found its way to even school buses for better service and safety.

The extent to which it is provides service to customers is indeed appreciable.

Read on through the remarkable evolution of GPS:

1957: SPUTNIK, the first man-made satellite was launched. William Guier and George Waeiffenbach, American Physicist monitored the emission of radio transmissions from Sputnik with the help of which they could locate its orbit and location.

1959: The first satellite navigation system was built by Navy, which was named TRANSIT. It was built in order to obtain the exact location of submarines. The system was introduced with six satellites which eventually grew to ten. The subs had to wait for hours to receive signals from satellites. The model paved way for the true GPS with continuous signalling from satellites in space.

1960: TRANSITwas successfully tested

1963: The Aerospace Corporation completed a study for the military that proposed a system of space satellites which sends signals continuously to receivers on the ground and could locate vehicles moving rapidly across the earth’s surface or in the air. The study laid out the GPS concept for the first time. Receivers in vehicles on the ground would derive a precise set of location coordinates by measuring the transmission times of radio signals from satellites.

1974: After having worked on GPS for past 11 years, the branches of military launched the first satellite called NAVSTAR.

1978-1985: In order to test the NAVSTAR System, military launched 11 more test satellites in to space, which was called “the GPS system”. To measure the transmission time, the satellites carried atomic clocks with them. Sensor design to detect the launch or detonation of nuclear devices was carried by some of the satellites starting from 1850.

1983: Korean Airflight 007 was shot down by Russians after it wandered in the Soviet airspace over the Kamchatka Peninsula. All 269 passengers and crew members were killed. In order to avoid similar situations in future, President Reagan ordered that all civilian commercials aircrafts must be equipped with GPS system. He believed that GPS could help in navigation and improve air safety to a great extent.

1985: Contracts for “airborne, shipboard and man-pack (portable)” GPS receivers were given to private companies by Government.

1989: The fully operational GPS satellite was launched by the Air Force after testing for years. After the Challenger disaster in 1986, the plan to launch the satellite on the Space Shuttle was changed. It was used in a Delta II rocket instead.

1990: Defence Department deliberately decreased the accuracy of the GPS system fearing that military adversaries might use GPS system for their advantage.

1994: With an eye on the future, FAA and Bill Clinton granted the worldwide airline industry to continue using the GPS system for free.

2000: The purposeful degradation of GPS which was implemented before the first Gulf War by the Defence Department was stopped. Overnight, GPS became ten times more accurate and powerful. Industries like fishing to forestry to freight management began to use it.

2001: Private companies began to introduce out personal GPS products as the GPS receiver technology got smaller and cheaper. In-car navigation devices from Tom Tom and Garvin were introduced.

2004: A new technology was introduced known as “assisted GPS”, which has been tested and developed. The new eminent technology allows phones to use cellular signal in combination with GPS signal in order to locate the user to within feet of their actual location.

2005: “Block II”, first new generation of GPS satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral. Signals were transmitted by the new breed on a second, dedicated civilian channel.

2009: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report warning that the $5.8 billion effort to upgrade the GPS satellites was so fraught with technical problems, cost overruns, and delays that some of the satellites could begin to fail in 2010.

2010-2011: Two new GPS satellites was launched by Air Force,  one in 2010 and one in 2011 which are meant to keep the constellation operable, until the next generation “Block III” satellites get launched in 2014. An additional civilian GPS signal as well as enhanced performance compared to the GPS service is expected from new Block III satellites.

2012:Air Force manages a constellation of 31 operational GPS satellites, plus three decommissioned satellites that can be reactivated if needed, at present. The constellation ensures the availability of at least 24 GPS satellites, 95% of the time. The next addition to the constellation, the GPS IIF-3 satellite will be launched on October 4 by the Air Force in to the space.

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.

How Does GPS Vehicle Tracking Systems Work?

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

GPS were initially used for military purposes by the US Department of Defense. But nowadays its commercialization has opened up a new window of opportunities in the field of safety and security. Everyone with a hand held mobile device can be powered with a GPS tracking app. This has made it possible to track assets on the move. Together with an embedded RFID card (with the asset), ensuring safety and security has become easier and economical. It is this cost effectiveness and the ease of use that has made GPS tracking systems widely accepted.

What is GPS?

Before understanding how a GPS tracking system works, let’s find out what is GPS. GPS or Global positioning systems is a satellite based technology that helps to track precise location of vehicles, person or other assets and also to provide data at regular intervals. A GPS tracking system can collect data in the asset’s environment and relay the same to a remote server, where the data can be further analyzed. GPS coupled with an RFID tag can be very useful. An RFID uses radio frequency of short range to relay data.

Now, let’s see how it works.

            As mentioned before, GPS is a satellite based technology which uses a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) network. It uses a microwave signal which is sent to the GPS device. It gives provision for both real-time and historical data recording. This is made possible by the 27 GPS satellites orbiting the earth, in a time span of 12 hours. Of these 27 satellites 24 are currently operational and the rest 3 are reserved for when the others fail.

The device carrying a GPS system comprises of a GPS module which receives the signals and is also responsible for calculating the co-ordinates. Based on function, GPS trackers can be of three types – Data logger, Data pusher or Data puller.

Data logger: It is basically used to log the position of a device at regular intervals. It uses an internal memory to store data.  It also comes with a memory card slot or internal flash memory and USB ports. The data from the device can only be moved to a computer for further analysis once data recording is complete as it can only be used for logging purposes.

Data Pusher:The GPS system which schools and fleet companies use these days belongs to the category of data pushers. Besides this, it can also be used for asset tracking and personal tracking. A data pusher records data like speed, altitude etc. and pushes them to a server where the further analysis of these data can be done.

When used for tracking school buses, text messages are sent to a mobile phone that has a GPS tracking app installed, in the event of school bus arrival or the student boarding the bus, via SMS or GPRS. It can also transmit location and telemetry input data or when an event takes place like a door open/close or geo-fence border crossing or engine ON/OFF.

Data puller: In this a remote system sends an SMS to get information from a GPS device. It is similar to a data pusher but the difference is that the data from the GPS system is sent only when it is requested by the remote server. It requires internet and GPSD only occasionally. These systems are used in situations where a constant source of energy is unavailable.

Why use GPS?

  • Not only does it allow data recording and transmission, but it does this in real-time. It is highly accurate and gives a precise location of your assets.
  • Buses follow pre-defined optimized routes set by school authorities, which reduces fuel consumption and also travel time. Hence, it is becoming more popular with schools and fleet companies.
  • It has helped to reduce pollution since the buses take the shortest routes possible and are well maintained.
  • Helps to monitor the school bus driver’s driving pattern.

RFID is another technology, which along with GPS improves asset or personal tracking. The radio frequency it sends out can be used to transmit information using the GPS system. Student ID cards using RFID’s embedded on them can be used while entering or exiting buses. The information thus generated can be sent to parents via a GPS connection therefore informing the parents whether the student has boarded the bus or not.

GPS School Bus Tracking System – How Effective It Can Be?

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

Are you imagining dangerous scenarios once your child's school bus is a little late? It is quite natural. But it would be easier if there was a work around. It is said that there is a solution for all the issues in the world. This issue is solvable too.

Implementing a GPS based tracking system to track school buses is an effective solution to your concern regarding your child's safety. school Bus Tracking is effective because it:

Addresses Safety Concerns

With school bus tracking in place, it is time for the parents to quit worrying whether their child has reached school safely. School Bus Tracking provides real-time updates to parents and school authorities about the student's location using RFID tags and GPS.

Considering its simplicity and utility, this vehicle tracking system is a boon for school authorities as well as parents. Notifications are sent for unscheduled stops, and the real time location can be checked from the system's mobile application; thus quickly finding solutions during emergency situations.

Makes Managing

The RFID school management system would be of great use to school authorities. The software does the routing and scheduling automatically, thus conserving time and energy needed for re-routing and re-scheduling in case of any issues.

Improves Efficiency & Savings

Routing and planning manually can sometimes lead to errors, thereby causing waste of energy, time and money. Having an RFID vehicle management system in place can help in tackling such errors.

By having the RFID vehicle management system, it is possible to calculate the distance covered by the school bus, the fuel consumption etc. Also, you'll be able to analyse the school bus drivers' performance.

Acts as a Solid Record

It is possible for the school authorities to create a record of the activities of each bus of a school by using a GPS vehicle tracking system. Also, if the bus takes a wrong route or if the student has boarded the wrong bus or if he/she goes missing, the parents and school authorities will be notified in a short period of time, helping them to track the student immediately.

The RFID school management system is surely a way to ease the tensions of the parents and the school authorities regarding the whereabouts of students.

Due to the effectiveness and the benefits, the Vehicle Tracking System is on the rise in Dubai these days. To lessen the worries regarding students' safety concerns, it's time for your schools, as well, to start implementing the system.