Getting the LED In

Next-generation lighting is becoming more reliable, cost effective
in an era when school bus operators need to identify serious savings

By Ryan Gray

Drive no further than your local elementary school to be flashed with the latest in safety lighting: LEDs.

The technology has been around for more than 100 years, and today it can be seen in everything from building displays to televisions. And more and more school districts across the United States and Canada are turning to LEDs to light the way for children and motorists alike to navigate busy school zones. They flash on stop signs and speed limit markers, and they even automatically detect the presence of pedestrians and light up crosswalks.

“The technology has developed to the point that the LEDs can meet the same standards of incandescent lights,” agrees Kristin Calia, a transportation consultant with Fehr & Peers, a traffic engineering firm with several locations in California, Colorado, Utah and Washington state. “But because of maintenance and lower energy consumption, that’s what is really driving sales. Communities are looking to reduce their energy usage and LEDs dramatically achieve that.

“We’ve been seeing the technology being used more and more, increasing industry wide and with every industry level.”

Look no further than outside, and inside, school buses.

A decade ago when light-emitting diodes first became available for school buses with brake and clearance lights, consumers often turned up their noses in favor of less expensive and traditional incandescent lights. But, according to some industry insiders, times are beginning to change, even as the industry is dealing with outrageous fuel prices and state budget crises. While higher-powered LEDs still cost a premium, the technology is brighter, longer burning and more durable than their incandescent cousins.

“The technology has improved dramatically over time in several different steps,” says Richard Dennison, president of Bus Parts Warehouse, which distributes a host of school bus parts and supplies including LEDs. “They’re much stronger, larger and the LED count is down. It’s somewhat true on the price going down as volume has picked up.”

For real cost savings, customers need to be far-sighted in the budgeting plans. Because LEDs are still relatively expensive compared to other alternatives, fleet operators need to be aware that advances in LED technology can limit maintenance costs down the road. For example, one LED fitted in a stop arm can now achieve the same brightness as was possible with 30 LEDs. Factor in that LEDs now also come in more durable, weatherproof casing and projection has vastly improved to shine at a wider angle. Adoption of a uniform standard by the school bus body manufacturers could change the discussion.

“They’ll see the longer term benefit and just say, ‘this is the next generation of technology, and this is what’s going on the bus,” said Harvey Boatman, a school transportation safety consultant in Maine. “Then it would no longer be an added cost. It’s a good product, and it’s definitely safer.”

Heavy Duty Bus Parts has kept a keen eye on the evolution of LEDs. The company based in Willis, Texas, distributes a host of overhead warning, marker and backup LEDs from the likes of Baader Brown, Grote Industries, SoundOff Signal and Weldon Technologies. But it also is in the manufacturing game. Last year, Heavy Duty last year announced its UltraLED Rapid Flash Stop Arm LED as a stop arm retrofit to complement its UltraLED Taillights.

“LEDs are much better than they were a year ago,” comments Brandon Billingsley, owner of Heavy Duty Bus Parts. “The LEDs are bright enough with a single lens that they can meet the specifications of a warning light. It used to take 100 LEDs to do that. And support components likes transistors and resistors are less now. There are less failures with less diodes, less warranty replacements.”

CRS Electronics was one of the first major players in the school bus LED arena. While its LED expertise has traditionally lied with warning, marker and taillights, President Scott Rieseboch says the company now sees white LEDs as the way of the school bus future. The company released an in-cab LED last year at NAPT in Grand Rapids, Mich.

“I think what you’ll see is, with some of the vendors, they’ll be offering interior white lighting,” Rieseboch says, “My concern is the quality of the light. Unless people are paying close attention, you’re going to see products where there is a wide variation in color. The school bus market is driven a lot by costs. You can get lower costs with white LEDs if you don’t particularly care about color consistency. I’m worried that could become a trend. You get what you pay for.”

Color shifts and “cheap knock-offs,” according to Rieseboch, are not the only worries. Seeing the benefits of longer, brighter life and less maintenance costs down the road, Maine began to offer LEDs as an add-on option in 2002. But there, so far, it’s been slow in catching on.

“Most schools don’t have the convenience because of the crunch on annual budgets,” says Boatman, who retired last year as state’s school bus director at the department of education. “The more forward cost-thinking people did, but others held off.”

Another issue for the industry to consider are inspections. Because of the evolving nature of the LEDs and the fact that they don’t have an “on” or “off” position, they need to be governed by different standards. A significant amount of discussion centered around at what point an LED fails was a topic at the 2005 National Congress on School Transportation and continues on the local law enforcement level. Boatman also says Maine state standards for minimum specs have not kept up with the technology. Still, he sees LEDs as an ever-evolving, ever-improving product necessary for child safety.

“Anytime there’s a change, people will wait based on increased costs,” he adds. “Without a doubt, maintenance is lower, visibility of light is much greater and it provides opportunities for improved response time of approaching vehicles. The safety aspect, from a practical standpoint, it’s intuitive.”