PUEBLO, CO. (May 13, 2009) – Administrators at a large school district in Colorado plan to take Global Positioning System ( GPS tracking) technology a step further, by monitoring the buses in their fleet while they’re out on their routes, and also the students in them.
Pueblo, CO school system #70 has its eye on a dual-purpose vehicle tracking system that will show – on computer in real time – their buses as they travel around the district. It will also monitor the comings and goings of their students, who will carry individualized ID cards that will scan as they embark and disembark the bus. The technology is similar to a key card.
Many school districts across the nation employ GPS tracking technology to monitor their mobile assets. Sensitive receivers placed inside the vehicles get readings from a system of 24 satellites in space, then transmit location data by wireless network so that they can be read from a remote computer. By capturing readings at regular intervals, usually every few minutes, GPS tracking systems illustrate the bus as it progresses on its route. Multiple vehicles can be viewed over a map simultaneously. This is called active tracking.
Active GPS tracking helps school districts be accountable to parents and taxpayers in the event buses encounter mechanical breakdowns, accidents, weather-related incidents or traffic delays. Supervisors can also monitor drivers’ speeds and keep the vehicles on a regular maintenance schedule.
With the new vehicle tracking system in place, the Colorado school district will also be able to tell what students are on any given bus, and when and where they’ve stepped off. It will be able to report to worried parents when their students get on the wrong buses or miss their stops.
The district plans to let the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Department share access to the vehicle tracking system.
GPS tracking of students is far from standard. Some school districts have a difficult time justifying the costs, especially in a tight economy with statewide budget cuts. School District 70 says it needs the vehicle tracking system because its student transportation needs are particularly challenging. The district encompasses a mountainous area of about 1,800 square miles. It is the largest school district in the state, geographically. It has about 8,000 students in four high schools, six middle schools, 12 elementary schools and four special schools. There are three transportation centers.
The district is hoping for about $175,000 in grant money to get the project rolling. If the funding is secured, administrators plan to start GPS tracking of buses this next school year. First up will be the district’s youngest charges: elementary school students.
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Tags: GPS Tracking, monitor, safety, school bus
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