GPS Tracking: A Worthwhile Investment for Schools

With snow blanketing much of the northern part of the country, worries about travel safety can take center stage, especially when it comes to children who ride the bus to school each day. Parents need a reliable way to know if there will be delays, if the bus is running on schedule, and if their children made it to school safely. For several northern Illinois school districts, GPS tracking is providing that peace of mind.

More Than Just Location Information

GPS tracking is well-known for its ability to provide accurate location information for people, vehicles, and just about anything else. But today’s models can tell you much more than the coordinates of the school bus your child is riding. In Rockford, Illinois, school districts use GPS tracking units combined with key cards issued to each child to provide all of the following information:

• News about delays—By keeping close tabs on each vehicle in the school district’s fleet, school officials can let parents know if a bus is running late due to icy roads or other adverse conditions.


• Route speeds—Monitoring a bus’s average travel speed lets officials know how quickly the route should be completed, making it possible to answer parent questions in much more detail.


• Idle times—Keeping tabs on the time a vehicle spends idling can help fleet managers determine where efficiency needs to improve and to identify whether it’s a question of inefficient driver habits or students routinely running late.


• Child location—Schools sometimes get calls from parents about whether their children boarded the bus for a ride home or whether they need to be picked up. When schedules conflict or weather conditions necessitate different travel plans, the electronic key cards carried by each student make locating an individual child much easier. Children swipe their cards when they board the bus and when they leave. Officials can then check via computer to determine whether the child is on the bus rather than using the old system of having a driver pull over and check seats.

Safety First

Child safety is of paramount concern for school districts as well as for parents. Equipping buses with GPS tracking systems better enables school officials to ensure that children board the bus when they should and that they reach their destinations safely. Better information about travel times, delays, and stops helps put parents’ minds at rest, making it possible for them to receive a concrete answer rather than waiting until the driver can be reached. In addition, some school districts are considering providing parents with access to a portal that allows them to check bus locations and travel information online rather than having to call the school.

While GPS tracking is often considered for efficiency, district officials believe that efficiency is closely related to safety. Especially when roads are covered in snow and ice, it’s common for bus routes to take longer or for buses to get stuck somewhere along the way. Better knowledge means less pressure on the driver, giving him or her freedom to make safety-conscious decisions rather than trying to keep a strict schedule even in dangerous conditions.

Cost of GPS Tracking for School Buses

Equipping all the buses in the Rockford School District with GPS tracking units cost about $350,000. That’s a hefty price tag, but one that school officials believe is well worth it in terms of student safety and driver efficiency. Most fleet managers who invest in GPS tracking report savings in fuel costs and other cost reductions that covers the cost of the system in a relatively short period of time. And with thousands of families trusting their children to the school system each day, officials need a reliable way to keep track of individual students and put parents’ minds at rest when questions arise.

Is GPS Tracking a Worthwhile Investment?

While GPS tracking isn’t used universally yet, school districts that have implemented the technology have reported good results in almost all cases. Budget-conscious citizens and board members can see the savings in terms of fuel and efficiency, while safety-conscious individuals are pleased to see greater child monitoring and protection in place. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

The Rockford School District bus systems also provide information about the operations and mechanics of each bus on a real-time basis. With more precise data in hand, school officials are in a better position to answer parent questions, make decisions about individual bus maintenance schedules, and implement measures to create better driving habits if they notice a concern.

Ultimately, the decision to implement GPS tracking is a decision to put child safety first in the school district. No parent likes to worry about the whereabouts of a child, and systems like the one used in Rockford can eliminate most concerns. With better tracking in place, it’s much less likely for a child to get overlooked and parents can immediately be informed when anything is out of the ordinary.

GPS Tracking: A Worthwhile Investment for Schools