School Bus Transportation News at STN Media

Maryland School District to Go GPS

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. - Prince George's County Public Schools said it will be equipping its fleet of over 1,300 school buses with wireless global positioning devices by the end of this school year.

School district spokesman John White said the intent is to have the Nextel GPS system online and fully functional for the start of classes in the fall. The county's school buses transport nearly 100,000 students twice daily, among the largest numbers in the nation.

"Nothing is more important than the safety of our children," said Dr. Andre J. Hornsby, school district CEO. "With this new system, we will be able to monitor and locate any and all school buses instantly. We will always know the location of our students, drivers, and buses in spite of inclement weather, traffic, or any other event."

He added that the data gathered by the GPS will allow the district, which encompasses 420 square miles around the nation's capitol, to design bus routes that are more efficient and effective. Baltimore Public Schools also announced plans in February to outfit its fleet with Nextel digital video recorders.

Hornsby bore the idea last year of tracking the district's school buses to best serve the wishes of voters and to increase transportation efficiencies as the district eyes re-routing next year. The technology was available, he reasoned, so why not put it to good use. But he was presented with the issue of paying the estimated $800,000 price tag for upgrading all of the school system's buses? All state school districts, save Baltimore, are prohibited from raising taxes to pay for services and are instead dependent on county governments.

"We decided a year ago to find other sufficient funds within the organization," he said of the non-tax funded GPS system, in part paid by funds freed up from a 65 percent reduction in students eligible for the district's free lunch program. "This system gives us the ability to identify school buses as they leave the bus lot, as they run routes, up until they return from those routes. We worked with the (school bus driver) unions and made sure they were on board and supportive of the action."

The GPS comes equipped with a voice-activated 911 calling and a button to press in case of emergency. It also allows dispatch to talk directly to the driver via a walkie-talkie device in the form of a cell phone. Drivers simply press a button and speak into the hands-free cell phone for a direct connection to the transportation office. Maryland has a law requiring cell phones operated in motor vehicles be of the hands-free variety.

"If there is a delay or a break down, (the school district knows) immediately and they can communicate with the bus driver instantly," said Chris Hackett, Nextel's vice president for federal programs. "Given the precious passengers riding in these buses, this is an important tool."

In late February, a Prince County school bus driver was charged with negligent driving and failure to keep to the right side of the road after police determined she plunged the bus down a 25-foot embankment while attempting to reach for a cell phone she dropped on the floor.

"In November, we sent a memo to drivers to sign that directed them that they should not use personal cell phones will driving a school bus," Hornsby said of the district policy. "Maryland has a lot of winding roads and hills. You need to have your hands on the wheel."

The GPS also tells the school district if a bus driver is speeding. Hornsby said it is not the administration's intent to use the technology for punishment by "to counsel and discuss and provide additional training."

"We're not trying to terminate people but give clientele, the parents, the best service," he added.