Tag: school bus automation

13 Features of a School Bus With State-Of-The-Art Safety System

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

All those parents who sign up for school bus transportation will agree with the fact that school buses come in as the safest means of commute for their kids. If you compare it with either riding your private vehicle or going by walk to school, the former alternatives pose threats to student safety.

It is for a simple reason that school buses come equipped with state-of-the-art safety systems. Hence, you as parents will be buying peace of mind with every school bus ride.

For all those people who are extremely concerned about the safety of children, below is the rundown of all the features of a school bus which is secured with the benefits of a modern safety system.

A closer look at all these features will reinforce the common belief that it is always better to be safe than to be sorry and school buses are the best alternatives.

The following are the striking features of a school bus fitted with state-of-the-art safety mechanisms.

 

 

1. GPS Systems

Parents and school administrators can now operate with the numerous advantages offered by a high-definition GPS system. With this system in place, you will be in a position to pinpoint the exact location of a school bus.

With a simple tap on your mobile app, you will also get to know the running speed of your school bus.

Offering the dual benefits of convenience and security, the GPS location is a vital information for both parents and school administrators.

2. RFID Tags

A major safety drawback is when students are left alone to wait for the school bus at their designated pickup point. This situation can be avoided through the RFID tags.

These tags enable parents to know the exact location of their kid and once the kid boards the bus, parents receive a notification on their smartphones. That is when parents can have a sigh of relief that their kid is now in the safe hands.

3. Indicators

School buses come fitted with extended stop arms and flashing lights. These are safety systems that help motorists to maneuver their vehicles while the children are boarding or alighting a school bus.

4. Emergency Exits

Life is uncertain and you never know when an unforeseen eventuality can throw your peace out of gear. It is for this reason that school buses should clearly mention emergency exits.

5. A Child Check Alarm

Many a time, school bus drivers forget to drop off sleeping children. To ward off such  instances, school buses can rely on an electronic alarm. This alarm prompts the driver to walk up to the rear of the bus to check for any kids who missed their drop points as they fell asleep.

6. A Bus-Empty Sign

Similar to the child check alarm, a bus empty sign is another noteworthy safety mechanism that is designed to prevent leaving an unattended kid on the bus.

This display sign hangs from the rear window after the driver walks through the bus to identify any unattended student and finds none.

7. Safety Seating

Modern school buses which go by the rule that the safety of their students is paramount will invest in comfortable and safe seats. Along with raised backrests, these sturdy school bus seats offer strong padding. Through these measures, you can ensure that your kids travel seated in well-anchored and protective seats.

8. Seat Belts

When every seat comes attached with a seat belt, you are securing the safety of your kids. It is hence a wise move to make the installation and use of seat belts mandatory for school buses so that kids are secured in their seats while travelling or at the time of a collision.

9. Specialized Systems for Preschoolers

When it comes to ensuring the safety of preschoolers and students with special abilities, it is the need of the hour to offer specialized restraint systems.

Along with equipping school buses with wheelchair locks and car seats, you can also hire an assistant onboard who will keep a watchful eye on the needs of such kids. Additionally, it is good for preschoolers and differently-abled kids to be transported via smaller school buses.

10. Regular Maintenance to Fleet

It is always better to be safe than to be sorry, especially with kids who are commuting via school buses. It is for this reason, the school bus-in-charge should conduct periodic preventive maintenance inspections.

When school buses are thoroughly inspected by certified mechanics, you will be adhering to stringent safety protocols meant for the overall safety of your students.

11. Concept of Compartmentalization

A noted measure to protect school buses against crashes comes in the form of compartmentalization. For the simple fact that school buses are heavier and larger when compared to private vehicles, compartmentalization steps in as a noteworthy feature. Through this safety concept, school buses experience a different treatment being given to collision forces when compared to how a strong impact damages passenger cars or other private vehicles.

12. School Bus Safety Consumables 

School buses should always be prepared for any sort of eventuality. It is for this reason that every school bus comes with a first-aid box. It is also very important for buses to have fire extinguishers.

13. The Yellow Color Says It All

All in an attempt to attract the attention of pedestrians and bikers on roads, the bright yellow color of school buses does the trick.

Increasing the visibility of people on the road, this yellow color helps motorists take notice of a school bus. This bright color is easily noticeable paving the way for the safety of school students plying via school buses.

Closing Thoughts

School bus fleets which are equipped with the above-mentioned modern safety mechanisms stand to gain when they guarantee the security of school students. While some assist the drivers to keep track of unattended children, others are meant to bestow peace of mind to parents and caretakers.

All these state-of-the-art safety systems together make school buses the safest means of transportation. It is hence the need of the hour for school districts to look into these safety measures and implement them on their fleets so as to completely avoid the instances of students getting hurt, unattended or stranded on the road.

 

15 FAQs about School Bus Automation

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

School bus tracking takes pride in implementing the state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence powered school bus automation features to all the school districts. If you are looking to avail these technological innovations in the sphere of school bus transportation, here are 16 questions and its answers that will crop up in your mind.

Here we are showcasing AI features in school bus tracking system such as Auto Optimization, Auto Routing, and Auto Allocation.

Questions and Answers Concerning the Auto Optimization Feature

  1. In what way does auto optimization improve the durability of your school bus fleet?

A: Auto Optimization helps you come up with optimized start points and the end points (terminus) of every school bus trip. When the school bus manager is aware of these, he/she can cut down the running time of the fleet. This will bring down the unnecessary wear and tear of vehicles, in turn improving their durability. 

  1. What are the two sub-modules that are facilitated by this feature? What are their individual characteristics? 

A: Route Optimization and Pick-Up Optimization are the two sub-modules that come under the umbrella of Auto Optimization. Route Optimization, true to its name helps transport managers to come up with the shortest bus route. It also helps them optimize various pickup points that should be covered in a single route, alongside adding a pick-up point according to a changed situation.

Speaking of the Pick-up Optimization feature of TrackSchoolBus, this feature helps school bus managers to recommend an exact pick-up point for every student by referencing it with the historical data points.

  1. How does auto optimization present the exact metrics concerning the optimum distance for a single school bus trip?

A: Given the fact that transport managers can lay hands on the exact start and drop points of students through the Auto Optimization feature. Through this feature, school bus routes and pick up points are optimized automatically and can update the pickup point in case of any relocation.

  1. How can you adjust the route and school bus seating capacity through the auto optimization feature?

A: Every school bus has a certain capacity and certain buses ply in certain pre-allocated routes. Through the auto optimization feature, school bus managers can assign a particular bus to a route in keeping with the seating capacity of students who should be either picked up or dropped off at the end of the day. They can base their judgment purely on the data provided by this intelligent feature called Auto Optimization.

  1. In what ways does auto optimization help you to alter the school bus route caused by a change in pickup points?

A: A sudden change in pickup point need not disrupt the earlier school bus route. Transport managers can rely on the auto optimization feature which makes use of historical data and suggest an exact pickup point for every student. This way, a changed pickup point will help managers assign students to a bus that will cater to the new requirement.

  1. What are all the ways in which auto optimization can help schools save time and money?

A: This feature is one system intelligent feature that automatically reduces the running time of school buses. This will lead to a cutting down of fuel costs alongside improving the durability of the fleet by keeping a watchful eye on the exact distance that should be covered to complete a trip. Undoubtedly, these not only save money but also help school districts deal with happy transport managers and drivers as this feature reduces their efforts to manage a changed situation in the most efficient manner.

FAQs about Auto Allocation Software and Their Answers

  1. What is the primary objective behind the implementation of this feature?

A: As the name suggests, this feature is concerned about optimizing the fleet to match the requirements of every school trip. It is all about running a school bus with full capacity so that every route is given its due importance.

  1. In what ways does the ‘Smart Allocation’ algorithm address the common concerns of routing faced by school districts?

A: It is indeed a challenge for school bus transport managers to chalk out the best route for every school trip that matches the seating needs of students.  This intelligent algorithm helps the school bus-in-charge to suggest the best route for every bus depending upon its seating capacity.

  1. How is a pickup location assigned and optimized?

A: The Auto Allocation feature collates the residential addresses of students. It is through this repository of historical data that school bus transport managers can step in assign pickup points for students. Optimizing of pickup points is another positive characteristic of the auto allocation feature that deserves a special mention.

  1. What are the automated data points that you can lay your hands on through the auto allocation feature?

A: This feature automatically suggests optimized school bus routes and pickup points. Based on historical data (the stored residential addresses of students), this feature also helps to create optimized vehicle assignments (which school bus should ply on which route).

  1. How is the auto allocation feature a boon to transport managers?

A: The auto allocation feature can indeed be called the best friend of transport managers since it helps them come up with a perfectly optimized school bus route, in a jiffy. They need not get bogged down by the number of pickup points or the student density that should be facilitated. The auto allocation reduces their strain and efforts by  suggesting and planning the best route in minutes.

FAQs about Auto Routing Feature with Answers

  1. How does auto routing address the common issues of school bus managers concerned about route optimization?

A: It is indeed a tight-rope walk for school bus transport managers to periodically look out for ways and means to bring down the operational costs of the entire fleet. They are ordained to constantly keep a watchful eye on the bus routes, the seating capacity and the running time of school buses. These will be herculean tasks if they are performed manually. This is where the Smart Routing algorithm comes into play, providing automatic solutions to all the above concerns.

  1. What are the reference points that are required to implement the auto routing feature?

A: This  feature  relies on data points like school bus seating capacity, the route, the number of students that are waiting to be picked-up at their designated points (the student data), the school bus details and the shift of the school bus drivers. All this information can be extracted from the current transportation repository and the registration information that is filled by the parents of all the students who have signed up for school bus travel.

  1. How does the auto allocation feature ensure that your fleet is running efficiently at all times?

A: For a fleet to be efficient,  transport managers should come up with suggestions concerning vehicle assignments which should be in line with the demands of every route and trip. The seating capacity of school buses is another significant pointer that should always be considered while planning a trip. All these reference points become valid data for transport managers to not only verify but also to approve a school bus route.

4: How does the auto routing feature enable schools to control their vehicle running costs?

A: It is only when school buses are put to their optimum use that school districts will be able to cut down the operational costs of the fleet. It is with this endeavor that the auto allocation feature helps school districts to optimize the usage of their school buses, keeping a close watch on the data points like distance of every school trip and the running time of every school bus. With the help of all these data points, transport managers will be in a strong position to improve the durability of the fleet.

Closing Thoughts

The above question bank of 15 FAQs concerning the AI features sheds light on all the numerous ways in which schools will benefit from automating school bus transportation systems.

Answers to these frequently asked questions are essentially the benefits of the auto allocation, auto optimization and auto routing applications that can save a great deal of time, effort and monies of school districts.

Additionally, these features indirectly ensure the convenience of school students through optimized school bus routes.