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Zonar Ignition Fleet Operations Platform Launches Integration-Ready Platform with Real-Time Analytics

By: STN
11 August 2025 at 18:34

SEATTLE, Wash. – Zonar, a leader in commercial vehicle fleet health and safety, today announced the launch of Zonar Ignition™, a next-generation cloud-based fleet management platform designed to replace the industry’s fragmented legacy systems with unified, real-time insights. Coming nine months after Zonar’s merger with GPS Trackit, Ignition reflects the company’s accelerated pace of innovation and focus on delivering joint value to customers.

Zonar Ignition helps fleets maximize uptime, reduce costs and respond to challenges faster through three core features that define a modern fleet management platform:

Integration-Ready: Built on a flexible framework, the cloud-based Ignition platform seamlessly integrates Zonar data with third-party data sources. An open API combined with the ability to build sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) modules, Zonar provides its customers with a more customizable and efficient experience.

One Screen, Total Control: Ignition consolidates and displays all crucial fleet and third-party data on one screen. A single-pane-of-glass view allows operators to assess the status of vehicles, drivers, and assets in real time on a single high-resolution map, rather than navigating through tabs to collect insights to make data-driven decisions.
Actionable Insights, Real-Time Results: Through Zonar’s market-leading hardware, Ignition aggregates data from its TCU hardware, compliance solutions, driver behavior monitoring systems and third-party systems into personalized reports. Interactive dashboards surface key performance indicators, including fuel usage, route efficiency and safety events, and enable drill-downs that drive continuous operational improvements. More than 30 detailed reports and personalized dashboards are available. From real-time KPIs and granular driver and vehicle data, to live alerts on speeding, idling, or off-route activity, Ignition diagnostics help improve safety and efficiency while increasing uptime with scheduled maintenance and preemptive alerts.

“Whether it’s a school bus, sanitation truck or specialized utility vehicle, for too long fleet managers have had to choose between clunky workflows or unreliable data when managing drivers, vehicles and other critical business assets,” said Charles Kriete, CEO, Zonar. “We saw a clear need for something faster, smarter and more efficient. With Ignition, we’ve brought together the best of Zonar and GPS Trackit to give fleets a single window into unified workflows and manage all aspects of vehicles, drivers and assets. This approach helps derisk operations and delivers actionable analytics through actionable intelligence. This platform is not just for our current customers, but for any fleet looking for a better, more connected way to run their operations.”

The launch of Zonar Ignition underscores the company’s role as both a trusted partner and an innovator in fleet technology. A pivotal step in Zonar’s ongoing mission to help fleets operate at their highest potential, Ignition’s platform is designed to meet today’s operational demands and evolve with future transportation challenges.

The first major milestone since Zonar’s merger with GPS Trackit on December 3, 2024, Zonar Ignition signals the combined company’s ability to innovate quickly and deliver value at scale. By uniting Zonar’s telematics expertise with GPS Trackit’s scalable platform, the company is accelerating cloud-based fleet visibility, analytics, and AI-driven insights. Ignition also integrates with Zonar’s proprietary technologies, including EVIR for electronic inspections, CARB tools for emissions compliance, Z Pass for student rider visibility, and Zonar Coach for driver safety coaching, giving fleets a single platform to optimize operations, improve safety, and reduce costs.

For the latest updates and announcements, follow Zonar on LinkedIn.

About Zonar
Zonar (https://www.zonarsystems.com/) is the trusted leader in proven fleet management solutions for pupil transportation, small-to mid-sized businesses, enterprise fleets, and public sector organizations across the Americas. The Zonar mission is to stand by its customers as a partner to ensure fleets run better, safer and more efficiently. Whatever the fleet size, customers rely on Zonar to help solve real-word problems. Headquartered in Seattle, Zonar has been delivering fleet management solutions to its customers for more than 20 years. Zonar has operations in West Chicago and Cincinnati. Available 24/7, reach Zonar at info@zonarsystems.com or (877) 843-3847.

The post Zonar Ignition Fleet Operations Platform Launches Integration-Ready Platform with Real-Time Analytics appeared first on School Transportation News.

Arkansas District Uses Technology to Save Money and Time

10 July 2025 at 20:09

An Arkansas transportation director and payroll specialist sang the praises of integrated technology company Bytecurve.

Using manual paper timekeeping is a common issue in the industry, said Bryan Mitchell, marketing director for Bytecurve parent company Transit Technologies, during a sponsored webinar Tuesday. He reviewed how school bus operations are complicated by elements like increased transportation costs, driver shortages, inflation, angry parents, payroll errors, union pressure and siloed tech systems. He noted that while half of U.S. students rely on bus services, school bus drivers have decreased by 15 from 2019 to 2023.

“There is so much pressure on transportation to operate darn near perfection,” he quipped. “These challenges are profound.”

Jonathan Agenten, director of North American sales for the scheduling, dispatch and payroll solution that is Bytecurve, reviewed how combining GPS tracking, routing and payroll systems though a customizable dashboard helps districts provide automation and easy answers for both parents looking for their kids and staff needing to get paid.

“You as transportation professionals should not have to spend time on the things that run well,” Agenten said. “Our system is dying to be customized specific to your department’s needs, your rules and the way you pay your people.”

Image provided by ByteCurve.

Russellville School District in central Arkansas transports 3,200 students on 43 daily routes covering 99 square miles. Transportation Director Christopher King said payroll was previously a process taking up to 15 days per month and involving inaccurate entries, extra time required to verify them and a 4 to 5-inch stack of timesheets to be signed.

“We were spending hours and days on tasks that should take us minutes,” he said. “It was almost a stone tablet and chisel, that how we did payroll.”

King shared how the district modernized by replacing those outdated, paper-based payroll and dispatch systems with a fully integrated solution powered by Zonar GPS and tablets along with Bytecurve’s digital timekeeping and payroll platform. He shared that tracking the time spent, staff needed and stress involved in the manual processes helped convince administration that the Bytecurve solution was a good investment.

Christina Herdman, Russellville School District’s payroll specialist, spoke to how the phased roll-out required school bus drivers to accept the new processes. Most drivers are between 50 and 80 years old and some needed her help to set up the apps on their phones. Having rapport goes a long way, she added. “When they come into your office, give them your time. It goes a long way,” she said.

She relayed that over 95 percent of Russellville’s drivers, even those who use flip phones and are “terrified” of technology, have adjusted. She shared how staff are pleased with how easily they can clock in and out or adjust their timesheets.


Related: Technology Adoption, Utilization Panel Discussion Planned for STN EXPO West
Related: (STN Podcast E259) Feel the Passion: Debates on Wi-Fi, Technology, Alternative Transportation & Safety
Related: Roundup: Bus Technology Summit at STN EXPO Charlotte 2025
Related: (STN Podcast E252) Onsite at STN EXPO East in Charlotte: School Bus Technology Interviews
Related: New Technology Provides Data to School Bus Routing


Stats shown during the webinar confirmed that the district has nearly eliminated payroll errors. This has saved 10 hours per week in driver communications and payroll reconciliation, and resulted in $15,000 monthly labor cost savings, even after wage increases.

Having a one-stop shop to monitor school buses and handle employee information streamlined operations and saved valuable time, King confirmed. Herdman noted that procedural changes and driver substitutions can easily be made through the system and pushed out digitally to affected parties. Communications are vastly improved and any type of reports needed can be quickly pulled.

“It has changed our lives, changed the way we operate,” King declared.

“It’s amazing,” Herdman agreed. “Payroll went from 1,000 manual tasks to [pressing]five buttons.”

Both King and Herdman praised Bytecurve’s customization and customer service, with most questions answered in hours.

Bytecurve technology is used on 55,000 buses and by over 60,000 employees nationwide, said Mitchell. Field trip management software busHive, interior cameras, and AI-powered safety solutions like driver monitoring systems and lane departure warnings can be used in tandem.

Leveraging technology thoughtfully and accurately helps put dollars back into the classroom and save administrative staff’s time, he added.

Watch the webinar on demand. 

The post Arkansas District Uses Technology to Save Money and Time appeared first on School Transportation News.

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