It’s common for technology inside the school bus to talk to one another —  especially when it’s provided by the same vendor. If school buses aren’t already connected, it’s surely a priority for most school districts.

But what if there’s more to the connected technology conversation? A general session at STN EXPO East on March 24 says there is. “School Bus V2X & Transit Planning” by Bob Riebe, the vice president of transit for Applied Information, Inc., discussed a new layer of connected technologies. Technology is connected not just to the vehicle but the surrounding community in the form of stop lights, infrastructure and other vehicles on the road.

Riebe explained that Applied Information’s Glance Transit Signal Priority system combines hardware and software into a solution that gets transit buses where they need to be — on time. School buses can be equipped with this technology, too, which ensures transportation operations are never losing communication with the bus. Applied Information’s Connected School Bus System has already been piloted on Georgia’s Fulton County Schools buses with partners Audi, Blue Bird, and Temple, Inc.

Cellular Vehicle to Everything or C-V2X technologies communicate with motorists driving in school zones. Riebe explained that distraction is at an all-time high and the technology tells motorists if they’re speeding and provides advanced warning that a school bus stop is approaching, right on their dash. (Currently, the technology is only available for a select few vehicle manufacturers, but the TravelSafely app leverages Smart City technology and alerts motorists of upcoming red lights, emergency vehicles approaching, as well as school zones.)

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Additionally, the technology can communicate with stop lights using routing information, as well as speed, time, location and stop information, on when the school bus is supposed to arrive at the stop. The technology is able to communicate with the stop lights, which turns the signal yellow then red for perpendicular traffic and the light green for the approaching school bus. This is beneficial if a school bus is running late. The school bus driver would only experience green lights along their route.

Riebe added this also decreases the amount of time school buses are idling at red lights and reduces fuel consumption and the number of emissions being admitted into the air. These can result in improved on-time performance, additional cost-savings, and increased school zone safety.

The system monitors real-time traffic and knows exactly where the school buses are located and when they would arrive at the stop light. If two school buses approach an intersection and are traveling perpendicular to each other, Riebe said the vehicle green light priority is on a first come, first serve basis. He added that the technology also provides 16 levels of priority, and different school buses could be set at a higher priority than others.

Riebe noted to integrate such a system into cities takes working with officials to allow devices be placed in the stop lights. If interested, he advised to start meetings with the local transit authority and speak with school bus OEMs to learn if they would put transponders on every school bus.

He noted the use case makes the most sense for bigger cities because there is more routes and traffic congestion. Riebe added that the Federal Communications Commission approved the technology to move forward and its use is growing throughout cities and districts.

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