Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Alabama SD Reduces School Bus Idle Times with New Software

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 09/25/19

Montgomery Public Schools (MPS) in Alabama recently installed Verizon Connect, a GPS fleet tracking software, that has significantly reduced school bus idling times by almost 80 percent. The new software has also helped the school district track driving behavior and maximize routes.

The upper half of a school bus is shown with the words "School Bus" printed between the headlights.

MPS first installed Verizon Connect on 80 of its white fleet maintenance and security vehicles earlier this year. At the start of the school year, the district installed it on 220 school buses and now all the district’s vehicles are equipped with the software.

“With the software, our idle time has probably gone down 70 to 80 percent from when we started. We’re probably saving anywhere between 1,500 to 2,000 miles a week in travel,” Chad Anderson, executive director of operations at MPS, told School Transportation News. “The technology helped us pinpoint the gut feelings we had and put data behind it.”

Verizon Connect gathers data and gives insight into fleets so that way customers better understand productivity, efficiency and safety. First, hardware is installed on a school bus that will communicate with the software’s application. Once logged into the software, the user can see a live map of all the school buses in their fleet in almost real-time. The software tracks the speed of a school bus, where they are headed, what route they’re on and whether the buses are idling or moving.

The software can also be integrated with another application that can provide location data to parents who want to track their children.

Anderson said the software has helped MPS ensure driver accountability, look at fuel efficiency, and ultimately save money.

“The more efficient school buses are being used, the less wear and tear on the vehicle,” Anderson said to School Transportation News. “The harsher the school buses are being used, or the more frequent use, the more likely they are going to need any sort of repair or maintenance associated with it, again, that’s another cost to the school district.”

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • Sam Houston State University Completes Athletic Stadium Renovations

    Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, recently announced the reopening of Elliott T. Bowers Stadium after an extensive renovation project, according to a news release. The university partnered with Stantec and DLR Group for the project’s design.

  • UNH Marks Construction Milestone on Oceanic Exploration Facility

    The University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H., recently celebrated a major construction milestone with a beam-signing ceremony for the new Center of Excellence for Operational Ocean and Great Lakes Mapping, according to a news release. The facility’s ultimate goal is to support research, training and technical assistance in ocean mapping.

  • Phoenix High School Completes First Phase of Campus Renovations

    Metro Tech High School, part of the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) in Phoenix, Ariz., recently announced the completion of the first stage of a campus renovation project, according to a news release. The school reopened a series of public-facing business operations spaces including credit union, daycare, floral, cosmetology, and culinary services. It also includes new CTE learning spaces for the school’s nursing assistant, pharmacy, and sports medicine programs.