SANTA FE, N.M. — Parents may rest easier knowing that innovative vehicle tracking technology is protecting their children when they ride the school bus thanks to a proposal by Gov. Bill Richardson for a $2.6 million investment to install GPS in the state’s entire fleet.

If the proposal is approved when it goes before the state legislature this month, New Mexico’s 3,200 buses could have GPS tracking, two-way communication, real-time video capability, panic buttons, and remote kill switches for local police to shut off the bus in the event of a hijacking as soon as this spring.

A spokesman for the governor credited State Transportation Director Gilbert Perea and State Education Secretary Dr. Veronica C. Garcia with the idea.

Speaking with School Transportation News, both Perea and Dr. Garcia said they were moved to push for GPS after a number of onboard incidents, including one early last year when a driver was unable to communicate with the district when two teenage sisters beat another teenager.

“Most of district is rural, rugged and isolated, and the fact that some of the buses don’t have two-way radios makes them more vulnerable,” Dr. Garcia said.
Both Dr. Garcia and Perea said that they feel that giving districts the ability to constantly be in touch with their buses would better allow the driver to communicate with dispatch should similar incidents occur. The proposed investment is just one of a six-part proposal to improve school safety.

Since Gov. Richardson’s announcement in October, Perea said his office has received a deluge of calls from prospective GPS vendors. At this writing, the state had yet to make a final decision on awarding contracts.

New Mexico launched a similar pilot program in conjunction with New Mexico’s Office of Homeland Security and Seattle-based mobile solutions company Zonar Systems to develop an advanced tracking system with rider verification capabilities. The program will follow 30 state buses and will use biometrics to verify the identities of 450 students who are U.S. citizens, but who commute between schools in Deming west of Las Cruces and their homes about 25 miles to the south in Palomas, Mexico.