School bus transportation is one of the most intricate and costly parts of every school district. According to the New York School Bus Contractors Association, more than 480,000 school busses transport an estimated 26 million students nationwide. School district administrators have the responsibility to disperse their fleet of busses in an economical and practical way that values student safety as the number one priority. Balancing these factors across a massive fleet can be a daunting challenge. Thankfully, with the help of Here Comes The Bus by Synovia Solutions, a CalAmp subsidiary, school districts can build trust between students, parents and drivers while saving the local community money.
Marietta City Schools
School districts across the country are seeing the benefits Here Comes The Bus (HCTB) can provide to their communities. Take Marietta City Schools in Marietta, Georgia for example, they are currently utilizing GPS-fleet intelligence technology to cut down on bus idling. By enabling our customers to track bus idling across their fleet we have been able to help them lower their fuel consumption, which positively impacted the district’s bottom line.
By giving families visibility into bus routes through the HCTB application, schools across Marrietta can drastically limit the amount of paperwork needed to keep their transportation fleets running. Equipping families with the HCTB app has also improved overall communication between parents and administrative staff regarding the safety and well-being of their children. Kimberly Ellis, the Marietta City School District’s transportation director, reports that “…our community expects this sort of communication and service, and we work hard to meet their expectations.” When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Ellis adopted Synovia’s Bus Guardian Trip Inspection and Time and Attendance features, and as a result, increased payroll accuracy. Due to the implementation of these features, local taxpayers in the community know their dollars are being used efficiently.
Queen Creek Schools
Another district harnessing the cost-saving power of HCTB is Queen Creek Schools in suburban Phoenix, Arizona. The platform helps the district drive down fuel costs and increase on-time arrivals through detailed reports stored in the HCTB electronic system. Focusing on timeliness has also allowed Queen Creek to limit its amount of phone calls to the transportation office. The community feels connected through the power of the app because of the clear and detailed communication between bus fleets, students and parents. Queen Creek’s community knows that its student transportation initiative through HCTB saves them valuable time and money on resources, all while improving the safety of students and peace-of-mind for parents.
Fulton County Schools
Fulton County Schools in Georgia use the HCTB technology to not only monitor student ridership, but also include additional features that greatly improve overall efficiency for the entire fleet. Some of those include tracking engine diagnostics which captures real-time engine and vehicle status to prevent costly breakdowns and keep busses up and running. The comparative analysis feature allows managers to compare planned versus actual stops during morning and afternoon routes, which helps save time and money. Another feature, route optimization ensures the most efficient usage of resources occurs daily and provides the visibility that taxpayers in Fulton County deserve.
When paying your state and local taxes each year, it is important to know exactly what your money is providing to the community. School districts across the country that utilize the power of Here Comes the Bus by Synovia Solutions understand the importance of clarity and safety in their fleets. As the new school year quickly approaches, talk with your local school board today and ask them to consider adding HCTB fleet management solutions. For more information, visit our website at https://herecomesthebus.com.