8 Common Mistakes Everyone Makes In School Bus Transportation Software

The school bus transportation software plays a significant role in allowing school districts to enhance the transportation safety of school students. These software solutions are now the most sought-after option amid many modern-day schools.

Moreover, they aid school administrators considerably in school bus scheduling as well as routing in an effective and convenient way.

Thus, the school transportation management will be capable of scheduling the fastest as well as shortest school bus routes to make their everyday operation quicker and more affordable.

The school bus transportation softwre can assign bus stops, as well, which will help schools in choosing the pick-up stops for the staff and students, consistent with their focus on the areas.

However, some schools are not aware on how to choose the right software for their school transportation department. This makes them choose the app with some common mistakes, thus  have to use the one with less benefits.

Here are the eight common mistakes every school makes while choosing the school bus transportation application.

1. Child Reminder Alarms

One of the most common mistakes everyone does while choosing a school bus transportation software is failing to verify the Child Reminder Alarm.

The main purpose of alarm is to alert both school bus attendants as well as drivers about the kids who are still on the bus even after the trip is completed. Thereby, ensuring better safety to the kids as well as to the schools.

2. Performance Improvements

When comes to safety, school buses are an admired solution for student transportation. Therefore, these buses are supposed to offer better performance and safety to the school students boarding them.

This means that school districts are supposed to upgrade the performance as well as the safety features of their buses to make children feel comfortable and offer the peace of mind to their parents. This can be achieved only by verifying the beneficial features of school bus transportation software while choosing one.

3. GPS

One of the major purposes of using the school bus transportation app is to track the school bus and their occupants in a real time. This can be done only through the GPS or Global Positioning System.

It is vital for schools to verify whether the software comes with the most powerful and latest version of GPS. If not, either parents or schools can come across many problems in tracking the school buses.

4. Notifications

Although all school bus tracking apps come with notifications features, it is important for every school to check that the software should come equipped with as many notification features as possible.

There are several reasons when school buses gets delayed to reach the bus stops  such as traffic jam, closure of roads on a particular route, breakdown of buses, etc.

During these situations if the software does not come with the appropriate notification feature, both the school administrators, as well as the parents could not be notified in time.

Thus, school districts are supposed to know the announcement features before choosing an application.

5. Live Map

While selecting transportation software, some schools would fail to verify whether the school bus tracking software comes with a live map. This feature plays a vital role in helping both the school administrators and parents to track the real-time location of school bus.

Therefore, schools should check whether the software supports the live map to ensure the student safety as well as to make their daily school bus operations a breeze.

6. Route Scheduling

This is one of the features that some schools usually fail to check. This is because their focus will be on the student safety in school bus. Route preparation is one of the vital features of school bus transportation software that and offers time-efficient and safe travel to and from school.

Thus, the software aids school authorities in addressing the entire needs of students as well as handling different traffic conditions to choose the best route. Thus, automating school bus route scheduling will not only offer the shortest route, but also helps the school management in dipping fuel use and maintenance expenditure.

7. Parents Convenience

Most schools fail to consider the convenience of parents of their school kids by thinking only about the students’ comfort. Usually parents prefer school transportation for their children considering the fact that it is the safest mode of transportation.

These school buses are handled by the school management on a daily basis. Very frequently, in news and other media, parents find upsetting and shocking stories about school bus mishaps and accidents.

Therefore, schools are supposed to consider a school bus tracking application notifying parents and authorities about the real-time location of their child. Thus, considering the convenience of parents is very important for schools while choosing the software.

8. Radio-frequency identification Attendance

Schools should not do the mistake of ignoring the RFID student attendance feature while choosing their school bus transportation software.

This is for the reason that this feature will offer strong, safe, as well as automatic attendance management in educational institutions. With RF-Attendance system, student attendance administration turns out to be easier, more accurate, and efficient.

Surrogate attendance can be considerably minimized or eliminated.

Check out this Slideshare presentation on Two-factor Attendance present only in TrackSchoolBus apps

It automates the entire students’ registration and ID card printing, data processing on attendance server, automatic attendance recording, everyday SMS to parents, weekly as well as monthly attendance statements for teachers, reports on attendance management system, etc.

Choosing a perfect school transportation software will be quite useful and helpful to the school management, drivers, as well as to parents. Therefore, schools are not supposed to overlook any of the vital features while choosing their software.

How Well Do You Know about School Bus Dimensions?

There is no doubt that the best way of transportation to and from school is the school bus. It’s a privilege to avail the service of school bus. The invention of GPS and RFID tags has elevated the safety provided by school bus to the next level.

The RFID school bus tracking system tracks student location, making it possible to locate them. There is also a GPS tracking system equipped in the school bus to help parents as well as schools to track real-time location.

Also Read: What is the Average Size Of School Bus?

Considering the distance travelled by the bus and the distance they cover, deaths are extremely rare. Death rate of school buses per 100 million miles travelled is 0.2 while automobile deaths are eight times higher.

Never Ignore the Dimensions of a School Bus:

It’s not wise to ignore the importance of the school bus dimensions. The exterior of the bus is equally important as its interior.

 

Typical Measurement of school Bus:

The school bus would have these particular measurements.

  • About 9.5 to 11 ft for its height
  • Around 8 ft for its width
  • Between the measurements of about 12 ft to 40 ft length

Measurement considered by the driver;

Ten (10) to twelve (12) meters long is another measurement that the school bus drivers prefer. It is because of the comfort that the drivers prefer this measurement.

Other Dimensions:

Measurements about 7980 or 8500 by 2400 by 3100 mm

Passengers and Its Impact:

The passenger size is of important to consider while calculating the measurements outside.

  • A 72 passenger bus would be appropriate if there are lot of passengers
  • For more capacity 77-passenger bus is available
  • The buses are designed to carry around sixty five (65) passengers
  • For a handful of students, a bus with smaller passenger space would be enough

Passengers and the Bus:

While selecting the perfect bus for the school the authorities must keep in mind the strength of students.

Here are some of the variations of school buses according to its seating arrangement;

  • Average buses for schools would have a seating capacity of around fifteen (15) to ninety (90) people.
  • Some choose to have around fifteen (15) to thirty eight (38) seating capacity
  • Some offer around twenty four (24) to sixty six (66) seats

The Eight School Bus Types:

  1.  Type A school bus can carry about 10 to 16 students
  2. Type B bus can carry around 10 to 30 people
  3. Type C helps to transport around 10 to 54 children and teenagers
  4. Type D school vehicle can carry 10 to 54 students
  5. Type S merely can hold up to 9 or less people.
  6. Multifunctional Activity Bus
  7. School Van
  8. Non-Conforming Vans

Choosing the Right Bus is not Tough:

Choose the right bus keeping in mind various factors. The best choice can give most comfort. Avoid buses with more seats than the students. Always be double sure about the material that is used to construct the exterior of the bus. Suitable prevention must also be ensured to decrease the effect of collision. Heavy duty mudflaps must be fitted in the front and rear of the bus. Without disturbing any adjacent panels or window(s), all exterior panels must be easily replaceable.

Wonder why school bus provides safety that cannot be compensated by any other means of transportation?

It’s because, school buses are built to eliminate the possibility of any danger. All school buses are equipped with school bus safety and comfort to help students have a trouble-free trip to and from their schools.

School buses have got fire extinguishers, emergency exit windows, seat belts on all seats plus an ultra-low entry slide-step (as optional) to allow children to board and alight without assistance. The thickly padded bench seats are fire proof.

Not only is the interior of the school bus, but the whole of it is built with utmost care and observation.

Resource

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

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.

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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.

24 Cool School Bus Games 2020 [Updated]

Students tend to get bored while travelling for a whole hour in the school bus, to school or back to home. It is true that interesting school bus games may help them to have fun inside the bus.
While entertaining themselves, the students do not realize that they are putting school bus safety at stake. If you are a teacher, a senior student or a school bus driver, why not urge the students to play few school bus games to keep themselves occupied?

Here is a list of 15 cool school bus games to keep even the naughtiest student at bay.

1. I spy

Any number of students can play this game, though a minimum of two players is required. Students can take turns in spotting something inside or outside the bus. They can then give clues so that others can guess what they spotted.

For example, a student can say, “I spy something beginning with c.” The clue can be vague so that the student can keep other students from guessing. To play fair, the student has to mention the object they spy to another student. This can prevent them from changing the object later. The person who guesses it right can be the “spy” next.

2. Trivia

You can play trivia games with students that are related to travel or general knowledge. Students can raise their hands to answer the questions. This can also be played in teams. Two students can sit together to form a team and answer the questions. Every team that answers right will be rewarded with points.

Student-Safety

3. Verbal charades

Write down phrases or words on pieces of paper and put them in a bag. Each student can take turns to select a piece of paper from the bag. They can then give verbal clues to other students so that they can guess the word or phrase.

4. Alphabet game

Students can try to complete whole alphabet in order by locating words outside the bus that starts with the letter. The word can be on a billboard, another vehicle, road signs or shops. When the second player locates the next letter, they can shout the word they see. This can be a group effort or you can make it a competition if you want.

5. 10 fingers

Each student can begin a sentence with “Never have I ever” and end it with something they have never done. Others in the group who have done the action can then put a finger down. The first person who runs out of fingers loses.

For example: a student can say, “Never have I ever eaten an apple.” Everyone who has eaten an apple can put their fingers down.

6. Name game

This is another interesting game which starts with a student choosing a name that starts with the letter “A.” The next person repeats the “A” name and adds a name that starts with “B.” The third player repeats the “A” and “B” games and adds another name that starts with “C.”

For example, by the time it is the fourth player’s turn, the name will be “AbbyBobChrisDon.” If a student misses a name in between, they are out of the game. The game continues until only one player survives.

7. Licence plate game

This is a very simple game. Students can note the licence plate numbers of nearby vehicles and guess which state the vehicles belong to. While playing this game, be careful that you do not put your head and arms outside the window.

8. Tic Tac Toe

This may be a bit tough to play in a moving bus. But, it is an option when there is nothing left to play. All you need are two players, a piece of paper and a pencil. The first player can place an “X” in the grid and player two can place an “O.” The players can take turns until one player has three across.

9. Hangman

This is another interesting game where a student leaves underscores instead of writing out a word, name of a person or a place, a title of a book or a movie etc.

The second player has to guess one letter at a time. For every incorrect guess, the first player draws parts such as head, limbs and body on the hangman scaffold. The second player loses when the dead body is complete.

10. Antakshari

This is a popular Indian game. The word “Antakshari” means the last letter in Hindi. Players can divide themselves into two groups. A player in a group can sing the first four lines of a song. Now, the second group has to sing a song starting with the first letter of the last word of the song that the other team sang.

Also Read: 15 Best Bus Parking Games 2020

11. Scavenger Hunt

This game requires some preparation, planning, and organisation. One student should give the other students, a list of items. These items should be near or around the school bus. The student who first locates all items in the list wins the game.

12. The Puzzle Game

Students can play puzzle games on the school bus. One student can distribute puzzles to others and the student who solves puzzles in minimum time becomes the winner of this game.

13. Famous People

One of the students in the group should say the name of a singer, actor, or any other celebrity. If someone tells ‘Sachin Tendulkar’, the next name should start with the ending letter, that is, ‘R’. Each name cannot be repeated, which makes the game far more complicated in the next round.

Similarly to make it more difficult, you can limit the field by deciding to use live celebrities, dead celebrities, or celebrities from a particular area.

14. 20 Questions

A student can think of something and other students should guess what that is. Around 20 simple questions can be asked by other students to guess the answer. This game is usually played by a small group of students.

15. Two Truths and a Lie

This will be a great game to pass time. Every student should say three things- out of this, two of them will be truths and the other one will be a lie. The other students should identify which of them are truths and which one is a lie.

16) Would you rather

A fun-filled school bus games!

These school bus games needs at least two persons. You can play this with your friend or other bus members. This game helps to break the ice between two people. 

One of the partners needs to ask a series of questions considering two different scenarios.

For example,” Would you rather eat a spicy chilly or take a hot bath under the sun? 

Not answering is not an option in this game. 

This game is sure to have a lot of fun among students.

17) Say your ABC’s

Start with the letter” A”, Lookout of the window and search for a thing, building, sign or landmark that begins with this letter. Finish the game until the letter “Z” is reached. This way lets you enjoy the scenery and it also improves your memory skills. 

These school bus games can be played with any number of students who can also form groups.

Also Read: 20 Smart Brain Games For Kids

18) Identify the tune

Rocking out your favorite tune is always interesting during a bus trip. You can start humming the tune of your favorite song and let your friends identify the song. You can make this more interesting and appealing by giving some clues. 

Your friends can also dance to the tunes to make the game funny.

19) Frame a story

Form groups of four or five friends. One of you can start a story with four words; the next one can add four more words to the story, then the next person after that. 

Add some pressure to the game by setting a time limit, a theme, a place of action, during a specific time, etc.

Don’t be shy to come up with your ideas and imaginations. See how long does the story moves, before someone gets bumped.

20) I’m going on a …

This game is best for preschoolers for memorizing alphabets. The first player can say “I am going for a picnic bringing …”, name anything that starts with letter ‘A’, like (apples), the next one can say something with ‘B’, thus the game continues until players cannot name something that starts with the next letter. 

The game can also be played with -” I am going to school”, “I am going to work” or I am going on vacation”.

21) Chain Game

An oldie but a goodie.

You can play this game with your friends. First choose some interesting topics like TV shows, celebrities, artists, brands, etc. 

Then, select any one category, for example, if you have chosen TV shows, you might say Game of Thrones, so the second player should say a TV show starting with ‘T’. Game continues until players are eliminated when they can’t answer. 

22) Can You Guess Who I Interviewed?

Students can interview their seatmates and write four sentences about them on a piece of paper. Don’t write the name or physical appearance. All papers should be hand over to the team leader. He/she should read each student’s interview paper aloud and other students should find who it is about. 

23) Kiss the kids

Let all the kids be seated. An elder one/teacher can ask funny or GK questions. If anyone knows the correct answer they should raise hands. The one who answers correctly will receive a Hershey’s Kisses.

24) Candy Game

Distribute different types of candies among students so that each one can have five candies.

Here is the hard part- they can’t eat it yet!

Next, hold up a board discussing what students must share to eat each candy.

For example-To eat Snickers, they should tell about their summer memories.

To keep the game simple, distribute M&M’s or Skittles so that each color can have a topic to speak about. 

Download our Infographics

15-Cool-School-Bus-Games-infographic

 

20 Must-know School Bus Safety Tips for School Bus Drivers

At an initial glance school bus might not seem different from other buses, but there are vast differences between school bus and other buses.

Compared to driving by themselves or riding with friends, students are about 50 times more likely to arrive at school alive on a school bus.

Read Also: School Bus Drivers Training – 10 Tips For City Driving

School bus, no doubt is the ultimate solution for safe transportation of children to and from school. There are a lot of factors that adds to the school bus safety.

From GPS tracking to RFID tags, school bus attains full points as far as safety of children is measured.

Student-Safety

School bus driver plays a vital role in managing and maintaining the school bus. There are guidelines for the school bus driver to be followed.

The task of picking up of students from stops and dropping them off at school are managed by the school bus drivers. They also transport students and faculty to field trips or sporting events.

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How to Handle Emergencies? Tips for School Bus Drivers

School bus drivers often work split shifts of mornings and afternoons. They hold a very important responsibility of transportation of the students.

The role of drivers might appear small but there are a lot of things that drivers must concentrate on.

School Bus Safety tips for school bus drivers

1. Usually drivers follow a strict time schedule, but under no circumstances safety should be sacrificed to maintain schedule
2. The driver should be well aware that he represents the school so he must display a clean personality with good behavior
3. Leave at the right time to the bus stop, don’t rush
4. Should concentrate on moving traffic
5. Pay attention to the traffic and safety measures, do not listen to music player, do not play handheld video games which can lead to distractions and accidents
6. Never wear hood while driving as it can make difficulty in hearing and seeing traffic
7. Ensure that all the children are safely seated before starting the bus
8. Be courteous and show respect to children
9. Be friendly to children but concentrate more on road while driving
10. Stop for picking and dropping of children
11. Drive with the headlights on, even during day time
12. Be prepared to act accordingly during emergency situation
13. Deal with the public in a positive, courteous and respectful manner
14. Remain alert for ice, debris, or slippery spots
15. Alerts about bad weather should be noticed
16. If the bus is trapped on tracks, evacuate the bus immediately
17. The speed should always be under control
18. Do not rush to reach the destination fast, always put safety prior to schedule
19. After every drive, bus drivers should check all seats and interior
20. Do not smoke or consume alcohol inside the school bus

Here are the 20 safety tips for school bus drivers shown in the form of Slideshare presentation:

Primary Responsibilities of the school bus drivers

• Transportation of the children to and from school
• Transportation on scheduled time and route
• Before operating the bus, ensure the functioning of the bus. Check the bus tires, breaks, lights, and oil.
• Helping disabled children to enter and exit the bus
• Ensuring that children are seated before the bus starts
• Keenly following the traffic rules
• Informing the passengers of any delay
• Staying updated about the latest driving rules
• Remain alert for ice, debris, or slippery spots
• Emergency numbers must be kept with the drivers
• Drive students and staff members to field trips, sporting events, and other outdoor activities

Read Also: Why School Bus Drivers Deserve Our Respect

Knowledge and skills

The driver should possess combination of thorough knowledge, skills and abilities.

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Driver’s knowledge should include

• All routes including the highways
• School bus regulations
• Dealing with children
• Dealing with children of special needs
• Scheduling system and procedures
• Record keeping system
• Equipment cleaning standards and procedures

Skills and abilities of the driver

• Operating the school bus in a safe and responsible manner
• Skills of client service and public interaction
• Team building
• Problem solving skill
• Quick decision making capability
• Verbal and listening skill
• Ability to write and read
• Stress management
• Time management

There are some must follow qualities for being a perfect school bus driver

• Honesty and trustworthy
• Respectfulness
• Cultural awareness and sensitivity
• Should be flexible
• Demonstrate sound work ethics

Special direction for the drivers to follow

There are some school bus safety measures that must be followed by the by school bus drivers.

Read Also: School Bus Drivers Health Problems And Solutions

• The driver should not leave the bus with motor running
• While children are on the bus, driver should never fill the gasoline tank
• No one other than authorized people should drive the school bus
• Driver should not merchandise animals, weapons, or other loads or attachments when transporting children
• There must be a back up bus in the school
• Move the bus only after all the riders are seated
• Do not consume alcohol before driving
• Report to the concerned authority if there are unmanageable pupils
• Never put the child to walk home
• Never use abusive language
• While transporting pupils, driver shall not exceed 15 m.p.h
• Promptly file all reports, routes, schedules and instructions for picking and dropping

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

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.

Parents Happy With the Installation of GPS in School Buses

Parents won’t always be free to take their child to school and take them back to home. Therefore, they have to depend on school buses to send their children to school. Almost all the schools now provide this transportation facility; either bus or some other vehicles. But all parents are concerned with the safety of their children. How can you ensure the safety of your child in their way to school? Global Positioning System (GPS) will help you to ensure the security.

Soon, the Government will make it mandatory for all school managements to install global positioning system (GPS) in school transport vehicles and parents are quite happy with this decision. Many schools already have GPS systems with tracking and monitoring system with equal involvement of parents and management.

With the increase in number of assault cases against children in school hours, parents are much worried about their safety. With the installation of GPS tracking system in the school buses, parents and school authorities can be sure of the travel route of the students and they will be informed in case any untoward incident takes place.

Advantages of GPS Tracking System

• Real- time information
Undoubtedly, one of the most advantageous features of GPS Tracking System is real-time information that one received about the location of the school bus. It helps you to know where the buses are, monitor pick up and drop off. You will be informed if any bus goes in a wrong route or if there is any unscheduled stop or delay.

• Student safety
Get notified if a student gets into a wrong bus or steps out at a wrong station. Even if the student misses his/her station, the parent will be informed. The exact location of the child can be identified with RFID tags attached to the devices.

• Monitoring the speed, managing the route and scheduling
If the vehicle is moving at a high speed, you will be informed and you can warn the school authorities to control it to avoid accidents. The authority can rely upon RFID school management software. The software can do routing and scheduling automatically. In that way, time and energy needed for rescheduling and re-routing can be saved.

• A solid record
It is possible for the school authorities to record all the activities and route of the school bus using the GPS tracking system.

What is there to worry?

The number of children abducted on their way to school and to home is increasing rapidly. Majority of the kidnapped children were found dead or had been missing. This is a dangerous situation. You cannot always have your children by your side. So finding a reliable solution to this is a necessity.
Edsys’ School bus Tracking System is a reliable solution to tackle this problem effectively. This will make parents really happy because it is so easy to use and syncs with the Parent Portal.

Once installed in your smart device having internet connection Parent Portal gives the following information:

• The travel history of their child at any given time
• A confirmation whether their children has reached school or home
• Monitor speed of school bus
• Time duration at each stop
• The reasons of delay such as break down, traffic jams, natural hazards etc.

Notifications can be enabled as per needs. For example, few minutes before the bus reaches in the morning, when the student boards the bus, when the student misses the bus or when the student reaches home etc.
The installation of GPS tracking systems with RFID software will surely reduce the number of crimes and attacks against students. Even if a child is abducted, it makes it easy for the authority to find the missing child with minimum time. Since the safety of the child is the major concern, the installation of a GPS tracker will make the parents really happy.