New school bus technology aims to reduce misbehavior, help drivers focus on the road

JEROME (Idaho Ed News) — In many ways, school buses are classrooms on wheels — complete with student misbehavior.

But in this case, the adult in charge is faced away from students and focused on another task entirely: driving.

Add in students using inappropriate language, playing loud music or refusing to stay seated, and it can become overwhelming. But rural Jerome School District is adopting technology next school year that aims to help.

Each bus will be equipped with multiple cameras that school staff — from transportation directors to administrators — can live stream at any moment. They can also take over the bus’s audio system to address misbehaving students if needed.

The technology has other capabilities, too: Parents can use an app to see when a bus will arrive and when their student boards. Drivers illegally passing a bus will have their license plates recorded.

“Student safety and driver support are priorities for our district,” Tim Hicks, Jerome’s transportation director, said, adding that the technology will allow bus drivers to “focus on their most important task — driving.”

Tracking buses and their riders is becoming more common across Idaho as districts from West Ada to Lake Pend Oreille have adopted similar technology as an added safety measure.

Hicks hopes the technology will also help his district retain bus drivers. The relatively low pay and unusual hours are already deterrents, he said. Managing unruly students on the bus while driving shouldn’t be another.

“The more we can support our drivers, the longer we keep them,” he said.

Hicks, who formerly worked for the Idaho Department of Education as a transportation specialist, took over Jerome’s transportation department this fall and is overseeing a major transition. For more than 50 years, Jerome has contracted its busing services through North Side Bus Company. But next school year, the district will run the busing on its own, Hicks said.

Generally, it is more expensive for a district to contract out its busing services, Hicks said. By running the transportation department itself, Jerome will be able to save money and have more control over transportation staffing and training.

To make the change, Jerome School District is in the process of purchasing a new fleet of 32 buses, hiring drivers and implementing the new technology.

It all comes at a cost. Paul Gandrud, a national sales executive with Transportant, the company behind Jerome’s bus technology, said one-time start-up costs are generally about $4,500 per bus. Then there are monthly fees that add up to about $800 per bus per year.

But Hicks said the state reimburses districts for ongoing transportation technology costs, so districts don’t have to pull from their own coffers for the expense.

Hicks also hopes the technology will reduce the need for parents to call the transportation department wondering where a bus or child is. Students will use devices called fobs and scan them each time they get on or off the bus. That way, parents know whether students are where they should be.

“Jerome’s new technology was inspired by consumer transportation technology like Uber, Google Maps, and Doordash,” said Martin Staples, the CEO of Transportant. “You know when to expect an Amazon package and when dinner will arrive – it makes sense to know that your most precious cargo is being safely delivered.”

For parents who might be concerned about how their child is tracked, Hicks said the fobs do not track students’ movements, they only register a child’s location when they are scanned.

And Gandrud said if parents are uncomfortable with fobs, students can also use the driver’s device or tap in their student number to show they’ve gotten on or off a bus.

As student surveillance increases state and nationwide, concerns about potential data breaches have mounted. Gandrud said Transportant has “taken great measures” to ensure the information collected is secure.

How Jerome’s new bus technology will work

• Live streaming and saved recordings: Multiple cameras on each bus will allow for live streaming, as well as recordings that will be saved for up to two months.
• Nighttime monitoring: The cameras also provide safety overnight, and detect if intruders break in or if a child has fallen asleep and remains on the bus.
• Traffic violation detection: External stop-arm cameras will identify cars that illegally pass a stopped bus and record license plates, which can be sent to local law enforcement.
• Bus “attendance”: Electronic passes allow students to check on and off the bus, accounting for them and ensuring they are dropped at the right locations.
• Directions for drivers: Tablets and software provide GPS directions for drivers, and show photos and names of bus riders.
• Bus tracking app: Parents and teens can use the app to monitor when buses are delayed or nearing their stop.