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Schools

LEUSD Considers High-Tech School Bus Program

The system has already cleared up some complaints, including claims of late bus arrival at Elsinore High School, buses speeding and a missed pickup of a special education student.

The Lake Elsinore Unified School District board is considering expanding a pilot high-tech fleet management program that can tell where a school bus is located, how fast it is traveling, and how long it has been idling. The program can also flag bus mechanical problems.

The program, developed by Seattle-based Zonar, was installed on 12 buses for a 90-day trial program in February of this year. Gregory Bowers, district assistant superintendent, facilities and operations support services, recently addressed the district board on the advantages of adding the system to its bus fleet.

“Zonar is a tool that will assist us,” Bowers said. “It will streamline operations.”

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He said the system has already cleared up some complaints, including claims of late bus arrival at Elsinore High School, buses speeding and a missed pickup of a special education student.

The system consists of an electronic vehicle inspection report unit that allows the bus driver to inspect a bus and transmit information almost simultaneously, and a ground traffic control module that provides a real-time picture of the bus route along with idle time, fuel consumption, the speed the bus is traveling and stops. The module has a global positioning component.

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The vehicle inspection unit is a hand-held device. When the inspection is complete and information is logged into the unit, drivers place the unit into a vehicle mount.

The information is then transmitted to a secure database that can be readily accessed from any Web browser.

Gathered information is archived for a year. Initially the system drew some trepidation by drivers who feared it would lead to “Big Brother” watching them.

But that’s not the intent of the system developer.

Bowers highlighted why Zonar would benefit the district. He said the objective is to transport students safely, on time and with a reasonable goal to decrease operating costs. Safety is another prime factor.

The system is designed to ensure that pre- and post-trip inspections are performed accurately. Security is also part of the advantage of having the system.

In-office operators can locate can locate the bus, the driver and students. That can be vital in a natural disaster like an earthquake or flooding.

Cost savings are another part of the system. Bowers pointed out that by just reducing idle time on 10 buses by 10 minutes per day, 150 gallons of fuel could be saved annually.

Bowers said the system could be phased in and that the total cost per bus would be about $857 to start. If the district has the equipment installed on 65 of the district’s route buses the total cost would be about $55,700.

Once the equipment is installed, it costs about $300 a year per bus to run the system.

The board did not act on the Zonar system. The board is cautious about adding any new costs in the tough economy.

But district officials will continue to study the system, which does offer savings, especially in the long haul.

“We will be saving money internally,” Bowers said. “There are significant savings.”

 

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