Tracking equipment being installed on Durango School District 9-R buses will give the schools and parents a new safety measure to keep up with students.
By the end of the school year, each of the district’s 47 buses will be equipped with a device that scans identification cards issued to all students in 2017.
As students board the bus, either at the bus stop or at school, they will scan their cards through a dashboard scanner, and again when they’re dropped off. Each card contains a chip that will send information, including the bus number, time and location to a server at the district transportation department.
“It does happen – a kid wants to go home with their friend, or they just get on the wrong bus,” Transportation Director Daniel Blythe said. “With this, we know where the kids get on the bus and what time, and we know where the kids get off the bus and what time.”
Scanners will be piloted in February only on middle school buses before they’re installed on the rest of the fleet later this year.
“The district has planned on this for some time, and now we’ll be able to provide information on bus schedules, routes and whether a student is on the bus to parents, and, if it was necessary, local authorities,” district spokeswoman Julie Popp said. “And instead of taking roll call and managing the children, the devices will allow bus drivers to focus on what they’re supposed to – driving the bus.”
Of 9-R’s 5,000 students, about 1,500 ride the bus, excluding field trips and transport to school sporting events. The 23 buses that run daily routes each travel about 150 miles on a typical day, or 500,000 miles a year, and routes cover a 2,300-square-mile range from Purgatory Resort north of Durango, east to Lemon Reservoir, west to Hesperus and south near the Colorado-New Mexico state line.
The new software, which cost about $80,000 and was installed in-house at no additional expense, will add another level of safety to school buses in addition to GPS systems installed late last semester.
“The GPS component lets us know where the bus is if it breaks down somewhere,” Blythe said.
Next school year, the district will roll out an online feature that will allow parents to log-in and access information about their child’s bus.
Students will be issued new cards each school year, which will cost the district about $1,150, or 23 cents each. Identification cards will contain the student’s name and photograph but no other personal information.
This year’s focus is getting scanners on all buses, but the district plans to expand and integrate the system next school year by adding scanners to school libraries and lunch rooms. Students will be able to check out books, buy lunch and ride the bus with one card.
School districts across the country are purchasing similar systems for their buses to improve student safety as well as audit bus drivers and evaluate efficiency.
Manufactured by Versatrans, 9-R’s software includes features that detail speeds, whether a bus is idling or running late, and other information that will enable the district to assess its drivers. Other school districts with similar software reported their buses have reduced idling time, and consequently, reduced costs.
“It will allow us to know speeds, lateness, if buses are stuck somewhere and information that would help us if there was an incident,” Popp said. “We’re hoping we see not just a return on the investment but improve the effectiveness of our drivers.”
jpace@durangoherald.com
Poll: Will new ID cards improve student safety on buses in the Durango School District?
Yes - 230 - 27.81%
No - 597 - 72.19%
