Being ''good enough'' just isn''t good enough when it comes to transporting children in school buses, according to American school bus officials in Kansas City, who have adopted new safety and security technologies including RFID.

     Glen McMillan, Director of the 150-bus Blue Spring School District said, "We focus every day on making sure that nothing we do becomes so routine that we take our eyes off the ball and miss something that affects safety or security. We are now taking vigilance to the next level."

     "When we pick a child up at a bus stop, we become surrogate guardians; there''s a societal expectation that we do the utmost for the safety of the children entrusted to our care. Moreover, taxpayers want the most efficient operations possible," McMillan said. 116.30.145.87 This article is copyright 2006 UsingRFID.com.

Golden standard for yellow buses?
     Shirley Patrick, Director of North Kansas City School District said she is phasing in what is considered by many industry experts as the gold standard for school bus safety, security, and efficiency - RFID inspection equipment.

     "Implementing a system that enables a rigorous inspection of our buses each day is emblematic of our commitment to do the best job humanly possible to protect child passengers," Patrick said.

     "Beyond the obvious benefit of identifying safety problems early, we can now spot routine maintenance issues instantly and get them fixed sooner. This reduces downtime, and keeps the schedule more reliable for children, parents, daycare providers and others who depend on us," she added.

RFID checks sensors
     She explained that much like a building security guard making rounds and checking in at key locations, school bus drivers use a hand-held Zonar RFID reader to inspect sensor locations inside and outside the bus, entering any concerns. A wireless network transfers the information instantly to a central database at the school district.

     Sue Oberweather, Director of Lee''s Summit School District also is in the process of phasing in the electronic system. "We expect to have it on all of our 150 buses by the end of the year. It makes us better at what we do, and gives us more information. With a traditional paper-based inspection system deciphering a driver''s hand-written notes is labour-intensive and often error-prone.

     The system selected by the three school districts creates a verifiable record that a thorough inspection was completed before and after every trip. Designed by Zonar Systems, it uses electronic sensors mounted at key locations on each bus. The technology also includes an integrated Global Positioning System (GPS) that provides real-time vehicle tracking.

 

 

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