School Bus Archives - Page 3 of 5

15 Tips to Fix Your Child’s Long School Bus Rides

Posted on October 12, 2018 by TSB Super Admin

While many parents may not have realized this, it is a true fact that a child’s school day starts with the ride on the bus.

However, very long bus rides for the children (say for two hours one way) are seen to detrimentally affect the child’s health and contribute to absent school days and even increase drop-out rates.

The effects are more intense for those children who require special education. Are these long bus rides not able to meet your child’s needs? Have you been mulling on the idea to fix these rides?

Currently, there are no definitions for lengths of the rides even for students with disabilities. If you want to fix the length of the bus ride for your child, you may have to explore and find out aspects with which you can establish that these rides are inappropriate. We give you a few tips that you can start exploring with and later build upon.

It is important to understand that according to the IEP document, transportation comes under the banner of related services.

Therefore, the first and foremost tip is that any concern in this direction should be approached in the same manner as you would do for other related services.
The next important thing to be done is to ask your child what he/she feels about the ride. Whereas some children find the ride cumbersome and exhausting, others seem to enjoy the bus ride.

It is good to get some clarity about the extent of the problem right here. Even if the child seems to be happy about the ride, it does not mean that you cannot strive to make it better.
IDEA does not define the ride length. Therefore, go through the state registers to find out whether the length of the school bus ride has been defined.

You may find this in some of the states and would not find this in others. It is a good idea to go through the transportation policy of the school district.
For a large majority of children, riding the bus for long hours can cause severe anxiety. In school-going children, sitting for long hours is difficult. This is a valid point that can be brought up.
It pays for you to know that if the transportation has been provided by the school, it is essentially a part of education that is covered by the IEP. All the queries and concerns can then be addressed to the school.
As transportation is a related service according to IEP, if you feel the bus driver needs to be trained, that can be put in the IEP.
The bus ride is largely chaotic and most of the times, the rides are not supervised to the extent they should be. If your child faces problems such as bullying because of little or no supervision, you can state that as a concern.
In case any change seems impossible, what about the following solutions:

•    Can the child be allowed to eat (whenever the child feels like) on the bus?
•    Would there be a Wi-Fi hotspot so that the child can do their homework on the bus?
•    Can tutoring take place inside the bus?

Make a list of the point which you are not willing to negotiate with: bullying by kids, medications on time, hunger pangs, Type I diabetes, epileptic seizures, etc. These would make your case stronger against long bus rides.
Document all your findings. Add bus incidents to make your point.
Just as how adults do not perform well at work after a bad commute, much the same happens with the children after a long bus ride.

You can make a point when you prove that every day the child is recuperating after an hour’s drive to school and recuperating at home after the one-hour ride back.
Even a roadblock in the IEP process means there is a solution to the problem and you can come around it if you make an effort.
It is a good idea to motivate other community members to take the bus when possible instead of driving their children to school.
In the case where the district administration does not provide transportation for any child, then you will have to argue the case based on the fact that this is a related service that would help your child to access the provisions of Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).
An argument can be made with the fact that LRE (Least Restrictive Environment) does not imply only the classroom placement but also the long bus ride.

IDEA states that children that receive special education should do their learning in the least restrictive environment.

Conclusion

If your child spends too long on the school bus on a daily basis, then it is upon out to bring it to the IEP team’s attention without any delay.

It will also do well for you to contact an attorney that specializes in special education who can help to examine your case and determine whether your child is being denied FAPE.

Common Guidelines for the Location and Design of School Bus Stops

Posted on October 8, 2018 by TSB Super Admin

Millions of school children travel to and from schools on a daily basis in school buses during a school year. The safety of students is a matter of high concern for both school authorities and parents.

This post provides some information on the common guidelines related to the location and design of stops for buses run by various schools.

Guidelines for Deciding the Location of School Bus Stops

The first step is definitely deciding the routes for the school bus. Once the routes have been finalized, the next step is to decide the location of each school bus stop along these routes, taking into consideration the various aspects that have been listed below:

Special guidelines required for kindergarten children like picking them up from their door-steps
Choosing the location of school bus stops on the key arterial roads of the city or town
Transportation in danger zones marked as “no transport zone”
Locating stops in dead-end streets
Locating stops at places midway between residential blocks or at corners
Closeness to railroad crossings
Adequate visibility

There is an intimate link between school bus routes and stops. This is because the characteristics of one impact the other.

For example, a route may have a busy road segment and a stop may have to be necessarily located in this segment. Students waiting at bus stop will definitely have to deal with the heavy traffic on the segment.

Keeping in mind the street-side things like the condition of the road from where the students board and alight school bus and ensuring a safe environment for children, consider the following aspects whenever possible.

Route school buses through roads with lower traffic speeds and volumes
Avoid roads with multiple lanes where the risk of injury for pedestrians is very high
Select roads that have sidewalks/designated pedestrian walkways which are different from the roadway/traffic; if this is not possible select roads with adequate space so that children can walk along the roadway and reach the stop
Avoid/limit the stops that necessitate the school buses to make a left/right turn along the route depending on whether right hand or left-hand driving is practiced
Avoid stops that necessitate backing up; if backing up cannot be avoided, make sure that the students are picked up before backing and during the return trip the children should be dropped off only after backing up so that the bus can be driven in the forward direction
Avoid railroad crossings as much as possible; if it is not possible to do that ensure the presence of signage and crossing arm protection
Select stops that have a high level of visibility for both drivers and pedestrians; the sight distance should be sufficient for both the students waiting at the stop and bus drivers

When it comes to the sight distance, some of the factors that have an impact are:

Sunrise/sunset times – It is better to avoid locating stops in such a way that the buses are forced to face into the sun at pick-up/drop-off times
Curves
Trees and vegetation

Guidelines for Designing School Bus Stops

When designing school bus stops some of the key aspects to be kept in mind are as follows:

Opt for the safest areas where students can wait for and get into and off of the school bus
Choose “near-side” stops as much as possible
Design should minimize the need for crossing the road to board or after alighting from the bus; as much as possible the need to cross multi-lane roads must be minimized
Ensure adequate lighting is available; if children have to wait during hours when the light is low, the school bus stop must be close to a street light/ other light sources as much as possible
Ensure adequate waiting space for both students and parents; the waiting place must be at least 12 feet away from the bus but the bus class and sight distance should be kept in mind
Consider the environment around the school bus stop; parks and commercial businesses both have their own benefits and drawbacks; they may confer safety as drivers might expect the presence of pedestrians in the areas but they can distract children
Design school bus stops in such a way that the children remain protected from vagaries of nature weather

On the basis of the geographical region, some of the aspects to be kept in mind are:

Design stops in such a way that shade is available without sacrificing visibility
Avoid areas that will reduce the visibility/access because of changes in weather conditions
Avoid snow drift areas that reduce the visibility of the bus or access to the school bus
Take into consideration the number of children that have to be picked up from a school bus stop; the presence of many students might confer safety, but it can increase the chances of behavioural problems

The common guidelines outlined in this post are focused on preventing traffic-related injuries to students using the school bus to travel to and from their schools. Students, just like all other community members, face risks of assault and other crimes.

Many of the other non-traffic issues addressed by transportation policies such as proximity to bars, liquor stores, and adult entertainment, among others are not dealt with in this post.

However, following the guidelines when designing and locating school bus stops can greatly improve the safety and security of school children.

How to Avoid School Bus Accidents

Posted on October 6, 2018 by TSB Super Admin

The statistics are unnerving: with over 25 million children travelling to school by the school bus every single day, there are many deaths that occur due to school bus accidents.

In all of these, it has been estimated that over 10% of all the deaths were school children, drivers and passengers. These are more than enough to make us learn ways using which we can avoid school bus accidents and keep our children safe.

A school bus accident is one that involves a school bus vehicle body or the body of any other bus functioning as a school bus. Almost every parent agrees to the fact that transportation of children to and from the school is safer in the school bus than in a car. However, it is up to every school driver to bear in mind that the school bus shares the road with other types of vehicles.

In this article, we have gleaned some precious tips that will help to prevent school bus accidents.

When the school bus is carrying the children, follow these tips:

• When there are children in the school bus, always maintain distance from the moving vehicle in the front. The driver should be left with plenty of time when the brake lights of the vehicle on the front start to flash. Flashing yellow lights indicate that the bus is preparing to stop. This gives an opportunity for the drivers behind to slow down.

• If the yellow or red lights of a school bus carrying children start to flash, and when the driver extends the stop arm, all the traffic behind must come to a stop.

• In case you are on a road that is not divided, do not pass a bus, from either direction, which has stopped to load or unload children.

• It is a good idea for every driver near a school bus to be extra alert as one cannot predict the behaviour of children. Drivers of all vehicles near schools should be aware of the lowered speed limits.

There have been many cases where children lost their lives in bus-related accidents when walking on the roads. Majority of these children are very young, between 4 and 7 years of age. Many a time, they are hit by motorists that are illegally passing a school bus that has stopped to pick up or drop off the students. Otherwise, they are hit by the bus.

Given below are some precautions that will help to keep the children safe.

• Ensure that your vehicle does not block the crosswalk. This forces children to move around your vehicle when they want to cross the road. This could put them in the midst of moving traffic.

• When your vehicle is in the ‘school zone’, and flashers are blinking, check all cars nearby are stopped and allow pedestrians to cross the roads.

• Always make sure that you stop the vehicle whenever a traffic policeman or a school patrol guard holds up a ‘Stop’ sign.

• Look out for children whenever your vehicle crosses playgrounds and parks or school areas.

Rules for School Bus Students

Some of the rules that we have seen are for the vehicle drivers and school children who are walking. There are also some rules that should be followed by the students on the bus to minimize school bus accidents.

• Board and alight from the bus in an orderly fashion.

• Be seated when the bus is moving.

• Keep head, arms and legs inside the bus throughout the journey at all times.

• Ensure that you are seated with your feet placed on the floor and facing forward.

• Keep the aisle area free.

• Do not distract the bus driver at any cost.

• Make use of the handrail while boarding and de-boarding the bus.

• Maintain a minimum distance while waiting for the bus at bus stop.

• Enter the bus only after it has completely halted to a stop.

• After alighting from the bus, walk for a distance of at least 10 feet before attempting to cross the road.

• No student should cross the road from behind the bus.

• You should cross the road only after receiving driver’s signal.

• You should be educated about the safety of the school bus.

These rules are to be followed when new school bus drivers are appointed.

• The school bus driver should be in possession of a commercial driver’s license. He should have an accident-free clean personal driving record. He should also come out free of a drug screening procedure.

• The driver should be a friendly person and capable of maintaining good communication.

• School bus drivers are expected to eat healthy, take time off when sick and get enough rest on a daily basis. They should completely understand the bad effects of sleep deprivation.

School Bus Maintenance

• As far as the school bus is concerned, the upkeep and safety of the vehicle are paramount. It is utmost important to stick to the rules as far as maintenance schedules are concerned.

• Drivers should inspect the buses on a daily basis and the vehicle should receive mechanical maintenance.

• The bus should undergo a preventative check-up before a long-distance trip.

Bus Routes

Bus routes should be planned in such a way that they travel through roads that have lower speed limits and have a lot of pedestrian space. Streets that are overcrowded or those that have poor visibility should be avoided.

Construction of the School Bus

• Ensure that the bus has safe handrails.

• The schools should not use non-conforming vans to transport children to and from schools.

• The bus should not be too noisy such that it is a distraction for the driver. There should be no speaker placed adjacent to the driver’s heads.

Conclusion

The driver, helpers, and the public at large should be watchful and vigilant at all times. There is no room for any complacency whatsoever. Only this can help to control school bus accidents.

How Safe Is Your School Bus ?

Posted on October 4, 2018 by TSB Super Admin

How safe is your school bus is a question that comes to everybody’s mind at the start of each school year. This can be attributed to the several high-profile school bus accidents that have taken place in the past.

According to safety administration authority, the safest way of transporting children to and from the school is the school bus. In fact, a school bus is considered to be seven times safer compared to traveling either by car or van.

Bus Safety

Time and again people have raised the issue that school buses are not provided with seat belts to ensure the safety of children. On the other hand, seat belts have been compulsory for passenger cars ever since 1968. However, experts in the filed opine that they are not required on school buses.

According to them, seat belts have a key role to play in ensuring the safety of passengers in cars, but the design of school buses is different and a unique kind of a restraint system on buses works extremely well.

On the other hand, the small school buses are to be equipped with lap and/or lap plus shoulder belts at all of the specified seating positions.

This is because the weights and sizes of smaller school buses and vans are closer to that of passenger cars and mini trucks, it is essential to provide seat belts to ensure the safety of the occupants.

In addition, the chances of students getting to school safely are nearly 70 times higher when they take a school bus instead of commuting by car.

This is because school buses have to comply with a lot of regulatory stipulations compared to other vehicles that ply on the roads. Moreover, they are designed to provide a higher level of safety than other passenger vehicles and prevent crashes and injuries. Further, the stop-arm laws protect students from other motorists.

Another aspect is that school buses are designed in such a way that they ensure high levels of visibility. Other safety aspects include flashing red lights, protective seating, rollover protection, high crush standards, and cross-view mirrors in addition to stop-sign arms.

The school students are also further protected by law. The law prevents drivers from passing a school bus when students are being dropped off or picked up, irrespective of the direction from which he/she is approaching.

Bus Stop Safety

It is not riding the bus that poses the greatest risk to the school students. The risk is higher when approaching or leaving the bus. Prior to going back to school or starting school for the very first time, the parents and children must have a clear idea of the traffic safety rules.

Parents must teach their children to follow all road rules and safe practices so that waiting for school bus at bus stops becomes safer for them.

Children must reach the bus stop from where they board their school bus at least 5 minutes prior to the scheduled arrival time of the bus. Parents can visit the school bus stop and show the children where they wait to safely board the bus.

Children should wait at least six feet or three giant steps away from the curb. Children should also be told clearly that they should not run around or play when waiting for the school bus.

When it comes to boarding or getting down from the school bus, children should be taught to be patient, until the door gets opened, and the driver announces that they can board or get down at the bus stop.

Children should also be taught to hold the handrails so that they don’t fall down while boarding or alighting from the bus.

Children should never be allowed to walk behind the school bus. If a child has to cross the street to board the bus, he/she should be trained to walk on the sidewalk or along the street on the side to a point which is at least 10 feet or 5 giant steps in front of the school bus prior to crossing the street.

It is also important that children make an eye contact with the school bus driver prior to crossing the street in order to make sure that the driver has seen him/her. At times children might drop a book or a ball near their school bus but they should never try to pick them up.

This is because the driver may not be able to see them. The safest thing to do in such a situation is to inform the bus driver.

On their part, school bus drivers can take care of a few things to make school bus travel safer for children. When backing the bus out of driveways or leaving garages, they must keep a watch on children that are bicycling or walking to school.

The same rule applies when driving the bus around the neighbourhoods within school zones. Drivers should watch out for children walking or cycling to school.

It pays to slow down the bus and watch out for children that are walking on the street, especially if the neighbourhood does not have any sidewalks.

They should also be aware of children congregating and playing near school bus stops. Drivers should also be vigilant as children that arrive late might run on to the street unaware of the traffic.

In addition, drivers must be aware of the school bus laws in their state and obey them. This includes the use of the flashing light signal system for alerting motorists.

Flashing yellow lights indicate that the school bus is going to stop either to enable the children to board the bus or alight from the bus. This is a warning for the other motorists to either slow down or prepare for stopping their vehicles.

When the red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended, other motorists understand that the school bus has been stopped for children to either get into or get off the bus.

Motorists will immediately stop their vehicles and continue to wait until the driver puts off the flashing red lights and withdraws the extended stop-arm.

The school bus starts moving even before other motorists start driving their vehicles again. Further, refresher training courses are available for school bus drivers to ensure the safety of children during the school year.

It is not an easy decision for parents to allow their children to travel to and from school on the school bus. However, it is important that they keep in mind the fact that, even without seat belts, a school bus that operates as per regulations is the safest option for school children.

10 Precious Tips to Help You Get Better At School Buses Driver Roles

Posted on October 2, 2018 by TSB Super Admin

School bus drivers are charged with the responsibility of getting children to and from school in a secure and efficient environment. In most districts, the face that parents get to see more often than the school principal or the teacher is that of the school bus driver.

In fact, one little mistake at their end can cause major damages. For instance, drivers carrying junior school students must ensure that students are seated safely, and each child reaches home on time.

Great bus drivers don’t just drive, they care. They take every step possible to give their passengers a memorable experience.

And if they are school bus drivers, they need to have certain additional characteristics since the passengers they are dealing with includes children from all age groups and the audience they are reporting to is varied – parents, teachers, school authorities, and transport authorities.

So, what are the qualities of a great school bus driver? How can you become better in your position and earn appreciation? Here are 10 tips that help you to become a better school driver:

Be Personal

As the driver, you’re representing the school and taking the child’s responsibility in your hands. As your driving skills are crucial to evaluate your performance, your ability to interact and manage the children is also of utmost importance.

It is your job to comfort the parents and make them feel at ease as they board the child on your bus. Parents remember and appreciate your kindness and friendliness. Pass a smile to every child and parent, try to know their names, and build a bond.

Be Patient with Kids

School bus drivers are responsible for kids of age groups from 3 years to 17 years. Children in this age group can do all sorts of nuisances.

Some can get violent, some tend to get adamant about seating, and some can indulge in misbehavior with other genders. Driving such a large vehicle and at the same time managing the kids require quite a bit of skill and patience.

If you are someone who tends to lose temper on small issues, being a school bus driver is not the right choice for you. A school bus driver must be able to handle all activities with patience and with ease.

Know What you are Driving

There’s a huge difference between driving a bus and a personal car. A school bus driver must completely understand the difference between the two and should be able to handle it appropriately. A school bus needs to be safe at all times, which means that your driving skills must ensure this.

A trained and experienced school bus driver will have the best judgment when it comes to taking U-turns and crossing past traffic. If you fear such instances, take some time to practice bus driving and stay on the route in different situations and scenarios.

Excellent Route Management

School buses have a specific route with every child getting off at their respective bus stops. The timings on the route are also fixed.

A school bus driver must perfectly follow this route and make sure all happens at the right time. You need to curb yourself from taking shortcuts or alternative routes if that hinders time management and eliminates some stops on the way.

Be a Leader

A school bus driver is in charge of all the students traveling in it. This means that you must be a leader who is willing to take the wheel when things need to be done.

Have the confidence to lead and take necessary decisions when they need to be taken, keeping the overall well-being of the passengers in mind.

Stay Calm Under Pressure

School bus drivers do not have control over what’s happening on the road. So, you need to be prepared for anything and everything like:

Road rage
Traffic conditions
Poor weather conditions

As a driver, you must focus on the safety of your passengers. That must be prime. You must take rational decisions by remaining calm even under situations of pressure.

Be Committed

Just like any other job, it is important that you have a passion for your work and remain dedicated to it. One-third of your life is spent at work and therefore, you must love and respect what you do.

If you are not satisfied with the duty assigned to you, discuss the same with a school authority or opt for another job position.

The best school bus drivers are proud of what they are doing.

Reach the Garage in Time

According to the rules of every school, the vehicle must reach the garage or a particular parking lot after school hours.

Bus drivers must respect this rule and ensure that they reach the designated lot in a timely fashion – without taking too many personal halts or just wandering around as per their choice.

Respect Others

Your duty does not end at carrying students to and from school. While that is the foundation of your job, you must also maintain respectful relations with parents, teachers, colleagues, and other officials. Each of these individuals is essential for success and you must appreciate them with all your heart.

Safety is Priority

Even though this has come in the end, it doesn’t mean that it is of any less value. It is as important as the first tip suggested in this blog.

A dedicated school bus driver will always diligently follow the route and meet all scheduled timings; wear the seat and follow traffic rules; and not over speed, no matter what. Everyone’s safety is the priority!

School bus drivers must understand the nature of responsibility handed over to them and respect the same. This not only makes their job easier but also makes it a lot more productive and fun.

If you are starting your career as a school bus driver or if you are already in the league, utilize these tips and there’s no reason why you wouldn’t become a better school bus driver. You could probably be recognized as the best of the best!

School Bus Software: Buyer’s Guide

Posted on September 28, 2018 by TSB Super Admin

Tight schedules and busy work hours force most parents to depend on school buses for the transportation of their kids to and from schools. Unfortunately, safety concerns arise due to various reasons, including difficulties involved in managing a large fleet of school buses.

Schools that make use of well-designed school bus management software, integrating technologies such as RFID and GPS, can provide a great deal of relief to parents. The aim of this post is to develop a buyer's guide so that it becomes easy for school authorities to choose the right school bus software.

The school bus software helps school authorities to monitor as well as manage students, vehicles, and drivers to ensure on-time arrivals by travelling through the most efficient and safest routes to the school.

The software suite will also provide the school with all the tools required to manage the operation of the school bus fleet in the best possible manner. The software helps to:

Minimize/Eliminate Route Hazards
Guarantee On-time Student Arrivals
Simplify Scheduling of Drivers
Provide Information about School Buses in Real-time
Ensure On-time Fleet Maintenance

Components of School Bus Software

The school bus software programme that you are planning to buy must have at least the following key modules:

1. Field Trip Planner

This module should be an end-to-end system for managing field trips. It should be capable of handling all aspects right from approvals to raising bills and invoices.

The right software would reduce the amount of paperwork required for conducting field trips, speed up the field trip approval and payment processes, and eliminate booking conflicts.

Key features to look for include the following:

Automation of Field Trip Approval – This involves automation of both field trip requests and approvals through email alerts.

Centralized Control of Field Trip Data – The software should be capable of estimating trip costs, verifying the availability of vehicle and driver, allocating buses, and recording trip mileage and driver hours from a central location.

Generation of Invoices and Payroll – It enables you to quickly and easily generate school invoices and payroll statements of drivers.

Tracking and Reporting Trip Details – The software should have the ability to keep track of hours logged by drivers, driver schedules, trip mileage, and expenses.

2: Driver Deployment

The aim of this module is to manage driver deployment by effectively communicating with driver regarding their assignments and schedules.

The staff in charge of transportation management should be able to enter the time off periods for drivers, track absenteeism due to sickness, and view work assignments online from anywhere. In addition, this software module should enable a calendar-based view with respect to driver availability.

This module must have these features:

Web-based Management of Deployment – Web-based monitoring and scheduling systems help you to manage driver deployment with ease anytime and anywhere.

Efficient and Effective Driver Scheduling – Driver deployment becomes more effective and efficient as you will be able to view the routes, driver status, field trips, and availability of buses on a daily basis so that it becomes easy to do driver scheduling and communicate to the entire team about the changes made in real-time.

Calendar-based View – The school bus software that you are planning to buy must offer a calendar-based view to provide you with the complete picture of the scheduled activities. It is better if it also offers filtration of data on driver, activity, and day, individually and in any combination.

3. Routing and Scheduling

The routing and scheduling module of the school bus software makes fleet management easy and less time-consuming.

It also serves to optimize routes and track students and buses. If it is a web-based solution, it enables a real-time map view without the need to install any software on the computer.

When dealing with many vendors, integration can be challenging. However, the best software will ensure student safety as it integrates routing, vehicle and student tracking, and video surveillance on one system. In addition, it should carry out route comparison to identify the best and safe route.

4. Fleet Maintenance

The school bus fleet maintenance module has a key role to play in terms of ensuring serviceability of the vehicles and cost reduction. Its inventory management system should be capable of helping you in identifying opportunities for parts and labour savings and improving the efficiency of operation and vehicle maintenance.

The benefits offered by the fleet maintenance module include a reduction in vehicle downtime, simplifying job assignments, and lowering fleet maintenance costs.

This module must include the following features:

Automation of vehicle maintenance scheduling including the creation of work orders, scheduling technician’s time, generation of preventative maintenance schedules, and receiving automated notifications on completion of work.
Must enable you to view maintenance history of each vehicle so that you can track increases in expenses due to negligence and analyse labour cost, and plan parts purchases and future maintenance schedules.
Whether it reflects parts inventory accurately so that maintenance cost can be worked out correctly and stocks replenished on time.
Whether it contributes to improving the maintenance efficiency by generating reports on work orders, technician’s time, usage of parts, and provide invoice summary to identify labour savings.

5. School Bus Portal

It is a good idea if a School Bus Portal is included as part of the software so that parents can sign up and get bus arrival notifications in real time.

The application must be fully integrated with the routing module to deliver information about the arrival of the school bus to parents via push SMS or notification. The portal provides plenty of benefits to both school administrators and parents.

Seven Factors to Be Considered While Planning to Buy School Bus Software

Selecting school bus software is a challenging task especially because many options are available in the market. It is, therefore, important to develop a comprehensive strategy for selecting the right software and provider. School administrators can consider the following factors when assessing various software and providers:

Why software is needed

The school bus software helps to overcome what is lacking in the current system in terms of efficiency and operational convenience. It improves communication, response time, and route scheduling efficiency.

Trustworthiness of the vendor

It is important to ensure that the vendor you want to work with is reliable, credible, and respected for their integrity. It is not worth getting stuck with a vendor that doesn’t serve your best interest.

You must do some background checks to have a clear understanding as to how long the vendor has been in business and how many customers does the vendor have.

Reliability

Apart from trustworthiness, the reliability of the vendor’s product should also be ascertained. Reading through testimonials and reviews will be helpful in this regard.

Implementation

The key aspect to be considered in this respect is whether the vendor offers a comprehensive implementation process that eliminates unnecessary points. Typically, the implementation process is offered for an additional payment. However, it might be worth to ensure a smooth transition to the new software.

Support

Make sure that the vendor provides support and service after sale if required, even if an additional payment is required for the purpose.

Pricing

It is important to consider the pricing, but the price is not everything. You should look at the value addition it can provide.

Return on investment

Once the offerings of each vendor and price are clearly worked out, the next step is to determine as to which vendor will be able to provide the most cost-effective solution that will effectively improve the school bus fleet operational efficiency the most. Prior to making the final decision, it is important to consider the return on investment.

School bus software is designed in such a way that it helps to ensure the safety of the children and can also helpful in providing cost benefits in the long run.

How Electric School Buses Can Save Millions for School Districts

Posted on September 24, 2018 by TSB Super Admin

Thanks to modern technology fueled by advancements in batteries, electric school buses have transformed into new-age school transportation options.

Poised to offer a plethora of advantages to all the school districts patronizing electric school buses, this blog sheds light on the monetary benefits by comparing the costs with their benefits.

Enlisting all the ways in which electric school buses can pave the way for long-term cost savings amounting to millions of dollars, here is a detailed cost-benefit analysis concerning these modernized means of school transportation.

It Is All About The Charging Advantage

An electric school bus demands an initial investment of about $225,000. Notwithstanding the fact that this is indeed a huge amount that school districts have to make room for, they can, at the same time avail the advantage of charging these buses during nights.

Since the demand for electricity is low during nighttimes, school districts can potentially save a lot of money under the heads of maintenance and operational costs amounting to $12,000 for every electric school bus. Consider this saving for an entire fleet and the amount will reach millions of dollars.

Software Solutions Can Come As Money-Saving Options

As most of the school districts normally battle with tight budgets, they were on the lookout for alternative means to save monies. This led to the use of state-of-the-art software solutions that could suggest the best possible school bus routes.

While helping school districts to come up with optimized school trips, electric school buses also prompted certain schools to tread the 4-day week instead of a 5-day week to bring down both utility and transportation costs.

The previous versions of electric school buses are also delivering cost-effectiveness coming from the implementation of traditional technologies. It is through this feature that local governments which are facing a tight cash crunch can register potential savings running into huge sums.

Unleash the Power of Alternative Sources of Energy To Fund Other Requirements

School districts which are currently patronizing electric school buses are poised to employ alternative sources of energy that comes in the form of solar panels.

Through these cost-effective and environmental-friendly options, school districts can register some additional savings. These savings can thus be rerouted as investments into school repair funds, paying the salaries of teachers or even to upgrade schooling technologies.

Vehicle-To-Grid Can Earn You Monetary Incentives

The cost-effectiveness of electric school buses comes to the fore when they are allowed to discharge their unused battery power into the electrical grid.

Tagged as the Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology, this is a novel option that can be availed by school districts. When electric school buses of school districts are permitted to empty their unused battery power into the electricity grid, they will get paid for such a service which run into millions of dollars.

The Cost-Benefit Analysis of Electric and Diesel-Powered School Buses

You need to invest $110,000 in a diesel school bus while an electric school bus supporting the V2G technology comes with a $260,000 price tag. This price is inclusive of the 70 kW on-board charger that the electric school bus is meant to use.

When you add up all the costs that you need to incur to manage a fleet of diesel buses including the cost of diesel, you will notice that diesel buses are far more expensive when compared to electric buses.

School districts while battling the poisonous emissions of diesel buses are also expected to spend on medical facilities for the society.

On the flipside, all those electric buses supporting the V2G technology will have to meet the battery charging expenditure along with the initial investment.

And this one-time investment will eventually pave the way for profits coming from non-emission means of school transportation.

A report suggests that Chicago, one of the largest cities of US is tapping the low fuel and operational costs of electric school buses to save a whopping $25,000 as annual fuel costs per bus.

Supporting the fact that electric school buses will start adding savings faster, a declaration coming from The American School Bus Council cites that a whopping $3.2 billion per annum is spent on diesel.

And with the replacement of diesel school buses with 1,000 electric buses, the US will register profits by not paying for 500 barrels of diesel every single day.

The Metrics of Per-Seat Savings of Electric School Buses

Numbers suggests that an electric bus through its V2G technology will be able to save $6,070 per bus seat. Multiply these savings with the 14-year lifespan of an electric bus and you will arrive at a colossal amount of $230,000.

This is for one single electric bus and the number will exponentially increase once you consider a fleet of electric school buses. If you are speaking about the dollars that need to be spent on climatic changes and medical expenses, every electric school bus seat could lead to a savings of $5,700.

The Future Is Bright for The Patronage of Electric School Buses

It is an important pointer to note that the total cost of maintaining a fleet of electric school buses for their entire lifespan is very less when compared to the diesel-powered school buses.

This positive, when teamed with the fall in battery costs, is all set to promote the sale of electric buses without any subsidy. This will lead to the scenario when an electric bus will become an economical means of school transportation when compared to diesel school buses by the mid-2020.

Research indicates that by 2030, batteries will account for a meager 8% of the total cost of an electric school bus which can be easily bought at an unsubsidized price.

And if battery costs fall further, the cost of acquiring an electric school bus will be on par with that of a diesel-powered school bus, by 2025. That means you can now have the cake and eat it too. An electric school bus which is environment-friendly is also made affordable to school districts.

The Basic Engineering of an Electric School Bus Can Also Lead to Savings

Electric school bus parts are limited in number when compared to the numerous components that are fitted to a diesel-powered school bus. That means, for an electric bus to be set into motion, there will be fewer moving parts which need to be maintained and overhauled.

This limited number of parts which make up an electric school bus can become another strong reason for cost savings to school districts if you consider their maintenance costs with every passing academic year.

Schools Can Capitalize on Federal Funding Schemes

You also need to keep in mind that most of the local transit authorities in the US are funded by schemes run by the federal government. In this situation, most of the school bus purchasers began scouting for external funds that could support their transportation costs.

That was when electric school buses came in as the low-cost alternatives for schools to benefit from federal funding. In the event that federal funding is stalled, school districts patronizing electric school buses stand to gain with the quick and steep drop in battery prices.

Conclusion

With so much being spoken about the advantages of electric school buses as an environment-friendly and cost-effective option, the above pointers bring about the affordability of these non-emission school buses.

School districts who operate with a sense of farsightedness can be at the receiving end of a number of monetary benefits that these electric school buses offer.

So it is time for schools in different parts of the globe to tread the path of cost-effectiveness and health-consciousness. And once these two objectives are met, you will be in a position to promote the growth of a healthy and tech-savvy society.

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

Posted on September 14, 2018 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.

School Bus Designs : Why They Remain Unchanged

Posted on February 26, 2018 by TSB Super Admin

First of all school buses are designed well and serves its purpose. School buses are the primary mode of student transportation in the United States.

Over half the student population in the country rely upon school buses for transportation to school and back to home. It is estimated that over 26 million students travel in school buses.

Transportation wasn’t the same in old times. Some of the first school buses were carriages that were drawn by horses which were called kid hacks or school hacks.

These were made by Wayne works around the year 1886. There were even sledges and farm wagons that were used by students to get to school or sometimes even walk to school through the snow covered lands.

With the popularity of automobiles rising in 1914 the same Wayne works moved on to automobile chassis to help students reach schools faster. With the introduction of these buses students sat on the perimeter of the bus facing towards each other rather that towards the front as they do today.

It was later on that the Blue Bird Company took an effort to create a design for the bus that resembles the buses of today even though they had a long way to go.

Some of you might wonder why the colour of a school bus is yellow. It has been yellow since its inception. This makes it easy to distinguish it from other vehicles on the road. The yellow colour is recorded as Federal Standard No. 595a,

Colour 13432 with both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Buses usually operate in the morning and evening so the colour is better visible during these times.

It is supposed that the colour helps drivers to notice and slow down their vehicles keeping in mind there are children on board.

Why School Bus Design Have Remained Unchanged

School bus designs are made to safeguard the children on board. Parents worry about their child’s safety and the modes of transportation they take to reach school or come back from school.

So there is a genuine need for standardizing the way children travel. The present mode of transportation is satisfactory and safer. School buses are typically safer as they are not driven very fast.

According to the studies by National Academy of Sciences and National Transportation Safety Board school buses have closely spaced seats which are shock absorbent and are able to protect children in case there is an accident.

Little Bit About TrackSchoolBus

Various apps can be used to monitor the daily activities of students, drivers and attendants. These help to know what is happening to your child when he leaves for school and comes back from school.

Parent App – TrackSchoolBus has come up with the parent app so that parents can make use of this app to build a rapport with the drivers. The app lets you get to know when a bus reaches a pick up point or the drop point.

Parents can also monitor the speed of the bus. If the bus is being driven recklessly they are immediately notified regarding this. You can mark a leave for your pupil using this app.

You neither have to call the driver or the school management. With track school bus’s app parents are notified regarding the real-time location of the child and also the route that is followed by the school bus.

Driver Console App – Using the driver app from TrackSchoolBus drivers get to communicate the route taken by them and the number of stops during the trip with parents as well as school management.

This helps them to take the shortest route possible which is beneficial to both the drivers and the school management as this saves a lot of fuel and time. They get to pass information with the transport manager.

Using the driver’s app by Track School Bus, transport managers can give drivers instruction regarding best route that can be taken by looking at the traffic on each road.

School Bus Attendant App – Bus attendants will have an app that has all the student details like pick up and drop points. This helps them to work more efficiently. Another added feature for the TrackSchoolBus app is that the birthdays of the students will be notified to the bus attendants.

With this the attendants can wish the pupil on his birthday which creates a better rapport with the students. They get to know which students have boarded the bus and those who haven’t. Using the Track School Bus App they can contact the parents to check if the students are on leave or if they have failed to board the bus.

School Transport Manager App – In some cases the schools have a transport manager or the school bus contract is given to a third party in which case the fleet is managed by a transport manager.

By using the TrackSchoolBus app, the transport manager can track the school buses from anywhere using the app. The transport manager will be notified regarding route traffic, unfavourable weather conditions, bus break down, or anything that is related to the vehicle status.

How to Transport Special Needs Students on School Bus

Posted on January 15, 2018 by TSB Super Admin

Students with special needs often become side-lined in measures to ensure child safety in schools, mainly in school bus transportation.

While the safety measures tend to generalize the needs of all the students under one umbrella and when efforts on safety compliance are implemented, these children receive the last loaf.

Some might be wondering if there is any justifiable need to differentiate the safety measure efforts adopted in the majority of the children and those geared for specially-challenged children.

Of course, there are!

Here are some key points that school authorities, transport managers, school bus drivers, school bus attendants must know.

1. Normally, giving special provisions can isolate the special needs children from other children. However, if the situation warrants the need for one, like the use of a wheelchair for the physically challenged children, then it might be wise to accommodate the use of one.

Support from the staff and other kids can help them to build their confidence even though they are treated differently.

2. Teach safety rules on school bus transportation but it requires a little effort and concern from the teachers and parents alike. Game videos and mock traffic parks might not always work for them.

Teachers can instead opt to teach them simple rules customised for their learning styles and patterns. Peer learning is another tried and tested method which has proved successful in many instances .

3. A simple change in approach of the staff can formulate better school bus transportation for these kids. With the help of appropriate training, communication method of school bus staff can be altered to suit the needs and connect better with them.

It would be ideal for school authorities to incorporate lessons on transportation safety for children with special needs. And these lessons can also be included in the general training of drivers and support staff on traffic rules and regulations.

4. Making use of postural supports while travelling in a school bus should be encouraged, especially if they improve the child’s seated posture, as this will also perk up the fit and effectiveness of seat belts.

5. Special needs children face various upsetting situations. However, the general approach of the society towards these kids is accommodating and appreciative. It would be wiser to train the staff on providing special care for such children.

Apart from the school bus staff, other students should also be taught to respect and treat these children with empathy. Keeping an eye contact with such kids make communication easier.

Simply kneel down when needed to maintain eye contact and you can witness the difference.

6. If any liquid oxygen is being transported in the school bus then it should be safely mounted to avoid damage and excessive heat.

7. Children with special needs tend to be confident when they do their chores independently. However, things differ while on a school bus. Consider, for instance, a physically challenged student need assistance of the driver while on the school bus.

It might be impossible for them to approach the driver or supporting staff on a moving vehicle. In such cases, having a personal aide to these children in school transportation is advisable. Peer support and buddies can also be utilized to overcome such situations.

8. Plastic or metal trays and lapboard which are attached to the wheelchair ought to be removed before loading the child and need to be held separately for safe transportation.

9. Communication is an important factor while transporting children with special needs. The tone, language and the mannerism all need to be adjusted to accommodate the physical and emotional needs of such children.

For example, children with vision, hearing or cognitive difficulties might need special assistance to have the instructions clear.

Talking to such children will not help in any way. The support staff should be able to connect with these children with their tone, language and behaviour.

Instructions on school bus safety rules should be conveyed to these children in a simple and easy manner so that they can understand it easily. Step by step instructions will prove helpful. You can also use images and gestures to teach them for faster communication.

“Disability need not be an Obstacle to Success.”

-Stephen Hawking