5 Reasons You Need Student Tracking Software

Student tracking software is a necessity, the most accurate and effective way to keep children safe and to minimize today’s extraordinary transportation costs. Whether you’re the business manager, transportation director, the superintendent of a school district, a dispatcher, or a parent, there are five vital reasons to implement student tracker software, such as Orbit’s BusBoss.

By far, the greatest value of student tracker software in today’s world is in student safety:

•       Every school bus should be equipped with GPS hardware connected to tracking software for disseminating real time information, allowing parents and school authorities to know where an individual school bus is at any given moment. It also lessens the stress on students and parents knowing when busses are running late, while decreasing the amount of time a student has to wait outside. Moreover, no child will be left on the bus at the end of the route or let off at a destination that isn’t theirs.

•       If a bus misses a stop, the notification is immediately sent to supervisors; if a child fails to get on a bus in the morning, gets on the wrong bus or misses the stop on the trip home, the parents can be contacted.

•       There is instant updated communication and additional route advice for the bus driver in an emergency event, thus keeping students and the drivers themselves safer. Depending on the situation, if a driver deviates from the route, or if an unauthorized individual gets on, a student tracker allows police or emergency services to be instantly notified.

Tracking software also ensures that your bus drivers are performing their jobs properly:

•       Student tracking software monitors every route, making sure every driver makes each stop.

•       If a driver is speeding, doing too much hard breaking, or is making any unscheduled stops, there will be instant data to identify such anomalies.

•       If the health of the driver is impaired there will be an accurate profile to alert dispatchers.

Student tracking software can record any school bus incidents, automatically recording and reporting them:

•       Information such as the student’s names, the route, and the bus driver can be transmitted.

•       Dispatchers and school authorities can know the type of incident, the action taken by the driver, and the exact date and time of the occurrence.

•       Utilizing the software can also insure that the appropriate disciplinarians, administrators, and parents can be notified by phone or e-mail for quick intervention. Instead of storing the details on paper or in filing cabinets where they can become misplaced, there is an accurate record for examining any incident.

Student tracking software provides detailed route planning for field trips:

•       For travel away from school, when the driver is less familiar with the trip, the on-board GPS will present the shortest, most advantageous route.

•       Dispatchers and school authorities will be able to re-route the trip by sending updated information directly to the bus.

•       In any emergency, authorities can immediately know who to contact and what jurisdiction the bus is traveling in when it is outside of the school district.

Tracking software can save the school district as well as the bus company transportation costs:

•       Accurate route planning will decrease the route mileage, making every trip more efficient and economical, and also saving on fuel costs. It ensures every bus is used to its full potential, and cuts down on expensive idling time. Studies in the United Kingdom have shown that GPS tracking saves 8.6% in fuel and a huge 15.3% in driver overtime claims. Communication costs are also decreased by 13.3%.

•       Stored statistics can also help to automatically calculate state reimbursements to school districts.

•       The software can keep new or different drivers from getting lost or going off course on their appointed route, allowing corrections to be issued right away.

Student tracking software isn’t just the future – it’s the now. It enhances safety and saves money. Ensure your precious cargo arrives safely, efficiently and on-time.  See for yourself by downloading a free software demo of Orbit’s BusBoss.