New Mobile Software Aims to Improve Safety on School Bus

FRISCO, TX (Feb. 4, 2008) — A new mobile software program being offered to school districts nationwide provides additional protection against the risk of children being left unattended on school buses.

“It’s alarming how often this is happening across the country,” observes Jon Kilburn, President of Vivid Software.

His new program, BusTek, lets drivers use handheld devices to track children when they get on and off a bus, so they’re accounted for at all times.

“As the father of a five-year-old, I can’t imagine getting the frightening news that your child is missing. That’s something no parent should have to endure,” says Kilburn.

In recent months, children as young as three years old have been left abandoned on school buses in Boston, Masachusetts; Lafayette, Louisiana; Queens, New York; Dix Hills, Long Island; and Vineland, New Jersey. One child was developmentally disabled and could not speak. Another abandoned child got off the bus and was found wandering the streets at night in New York City. Numerous victims were left in sub-freezing temperatures. Unique software installed on handheld devices
can protect childen from being left unattended.

“BusTek can prevent this from happening,” suggestsVivid Marketing Director Tom Cobin. “Jon has taken technology used for decades in retail shopping, and adapted it for use on mobile devices, to help ensure the safety of our most precious cargo: our children.”

BusTek is installed on handheld Personal Digital Assistant devices (PDAs), and programmed with student data provided by the school system. A driver is issued a PDA unit, and must sign the touch-screen to certify a pre-trip inspection has been conducted at the beginning of a shift. As each child boards the bus, the driver uses the PDA to scan his or her identity badge, which triggers the PDA to display the rider’s information on-screen for confirmation. The process takes an instant; the presence of every child on-board is documented. Children’s badges are scanned again when they get off the bus, creating a real-time record of the trip. At the
end of the shift, a recinciliation in BusTek indicates whether any child who boarded the bus did not get off.

“As far as we’re aware,” says Cobin, “no one besides Vivid offers such a solution to this troubling problem. BusTek also offers instant communication with a driver; multiple drop-off locations; and many other features to give parents and administrators more peace of mind about the safety of children.”

The contract for BusTek includes installation; integration with a school system’s student-information database; on-site training; and all necessary software and hardware. With the purchase of the entire Vivid Software Student Security Suite (which includes Mobile Administrator, a student-tracking program), Vivid will
provide badge-creation software for any client who does not already have its own, at no additional charge.

“We’re excited to be using this kind of technological innovation for such an important purpose,” says Kilburn. “BusTek adds a new layer of protection and safety, and could help avert a real tragedy.”