It’s Time for School Bus Fleet Managers to Get Schooled on GPS Fleet Tracking
21 Sep 2017
School is now open and school busses are in full force along our nation’s streets. Children have their eyes on the chalkboard and nose into their books, soaking up knowledge to last them a lifetime. But, as a fleet manager, when was the last time you were “schooled” on things that could improve your fleet’s safety and efficiency, as long with improve your fleet’s bottom line?
GPS fleet tracking for school bus fleet managers is more than a tool to plan more efficient routes and shave a few dollars off the fuel budget each year. It’s an essential tool that offers many benefits to school systems and a great deal of peace of mind to parents.
There are several ways you can use GPS fleet tracking and management to ensure your buses and drivers are worthy of top marks this year, including these:
Improving Child Safety
For all school bus fleets, child safety is priority number one. It is the thing that keeps fleet managers up at night and with good reason. One child injured or lost is one too many. GPS fleet tracking will free up the driver to focus on driving rather than fielding phone calls from worried parents, schools, etc. GPS fleet tracking can also be used to monitor the various systems on the bus itself to alert the school system about potential mechanical problems thus avoiding breakdowns and, possibly, accidents at critical times.
Parental Monitoring of School Buses (Arrivals and Departures)
Parents often dislike the idea of sending children out to wait for the bus when the temperatures are below freezing in the morning or the sky is dark. With GPS fleet tracking, parents can monitor the exact location of the buses, in real time, so they know the exact moment when to send their children out to catch the bus without worrying about unnecessary and sometimes dangerous waits.
Improving Bus Maintenance
Maintenance is a key issue for buses that carry precious cargo day after day. Staying on top of routine maintenance not only means that the buses will last longer, but it can also help to prevent risky breakdowns and accidents.
Tracking Driving Behaviors
As much as you’d like to believe that all drivers have the best interest of the children they are transporting at heart, the fact is that some drivers behave recklessly behind the wheel and that is something no school district can afford. GPS fleet tracking allows you to monitor each driver’s behavior behind the wheel and can even be set up to send alerts about specific driving behaviors like speeding, hard braking, swerving, etc. so that appropriate disciplinary actions can be taken.
Monitoring Fuel Costs
Fuel costs can be cut by creating more efficient routes. That is something GPSP tracking can certainly assist with. It can also be reduced by cutting down on time spent idling, excessive stop lights, and other things. GPS fleet tracking allows you to monitor these things to determine who the biggest offending drivers are and to look for ways to reduce these inefficiencies – either with alternate routing or behavioral changes with the drivers.
Whether in terms of peace of mind, child safety, or fuel savings, GPS fleet tracking for buses is a fantastic way to make sure your buses make the grade this school year and beyond.
If you have not implemented GPS fleet tracking for your school bus fleet, now is the time to consider it. Call us here at LiveViewGPS at 1-888-544-0494 to learn how GPS fleet tracking can benefit school bus fleets like yours.
Comments are closed.