Ensuring student safety on school buses is a top priority for school districts, transportation directors, and parents. While traditional monitoring tools like GPS tracking and onboard cameras provide valuable data, they often fall short in addressing real-time safety concerns.

Live Look-In transforms school bus monitoring by allowing authorized administrators to access live video feeds instantly.

In this whitepaper, you will find out how Live Look-In:

• Enhances emergency response
• Supports better decision-making
• Streamlines incident verification
• Strengthens communication

INCLUDED: Case Study with Mooresville Graded School District

See how Live look-in is transforming school bus safety for transportation departments just like yours!

Download the full whitepaper to explore how Live Look-In is revolutionizing student transportation safety and learn about implementation considerations, funding options, and best practices for seamless adoption.

Fill out the form below and then check your email for the white paper download link.

The post (Free White Paper) How Schools Can Address Transportation Challenges with Live Look-In appeared first on School Transportation News.

As weeks passed, the Midwestern district’s fleet management duties escalated. So much so that Tim, the transportation director, hired bus drivers to pull hard drives after hours and assist with other tasks. There simply weren’t enough hours in the day, and fleet demands stressed Tim’s typically upbeat team.

The trend soon changed thanks to REI’s wireless, automated ARMOR Software Suite. The district integrated the cloud-based data powerhouse to streamline fleet management for Tim’s team and help reduce expenses.

Let’s review its features – the same features that could help reduce your duties and costs too.

Actions

Tim accessed this feature to assign permissions, parameters, thresholds and automated procedures for all ARMOR functions. Most noteworthy: He set up the automatic download of event videos from fleet DVRs which eliminated drivers’ help in pulling hard drives.

Diagnostics

Once Tim configured ARMOR’s settings, the Diagnostics feature’s data showed that all engines and bus camera systems worked properly.* In addition, the vehicle logs and automated status updates helped the team:

• Detect problems early to mitigate/prevent major repairs
• Anticipate/correct issues before dispatching vehicles
• Monitor the video systems on the vehicles en route
• Gauge fuel efficiency, battery voltages, odometer readings and mechanical problems

Diagnostics made it possible for them to solve problems quickly, saving time and potential maintenance costs.

AutoPilot

An archive for downloaded surveillance videos and data, the team often accessed AutoPilot to review events and email the password-protected videos to others. This feature’s search tool also made it incredibly easy to find videos, saving the team hours of time (see image at top).

Dashboard

The team frequently checked Dashboard to monitor data about active vehicles, their locations, frequency of events and server storage space. With this feature at your disposal, you too could monitor fleet efficiency and safety remotely to save time and keep costs down.

Insight

Suppose you want to track vehicles in real time, request event video from a specific location or view event hotspots. ARMOR Insight is your source. Tim’s team frequently viewed the mapped routes, vehicle speed graphs and other useful data to locate and solve problems in a timely manner.*

StopArm

StopArm’s data made it easier for the team to find, review and manage violation videos. Having supporting data, license plate images and video in one place also expedited their reporting process. StopArm could save hours of work for your team too.

Work smarter, not harder on fleet management. Let ARMOR Software Suite’s automated data collection and reporting features do much of the legwork for you. Contact us today for more info!

*Additional hardware required.

The views expressed are those of the content sponsor and do not reflect those of School Transportation News.

The post Data: The Power Behind Streamlined Fleet Management appeared first on School Transportation News.

School was scheduled to start in two weeks. Yet, installation of the district’s new bus camera systems was delayed. As anxiety grew, so did the questions: Why the delay? Where were the buses? How quickly can the issues be resolved? The district raced to find answers.

While planning your installations, consider these eight tips to facilitate efficiency and help you stay on budget:

1. Hold Up-front Meetings

The more details you cover with stakeholders, the better. Organize meetings before installation begins to establish deadlines, review system requirements and settings, assign duties and expectations, examine shipping schedules, and discuss the approval process. Also, anticipate potential delays that could impact completion. Figure them into your timetable to ease deadline pressure.

2. Check State Regulations

Rules for bus safety solutions vary by state and may impact your hardware orders and installations. For example, some states require that cameras be recessed. Other states prohibit windshield-mount cameras but permit pedestal-mount models. Know the laws before you order to optimize expenses.

3. Confirm Bus Availability

Will your installer have access to the number of buses promised and at the right location(s)? Missing buses or incorrect addresses can result in lengthy delays and wasted time and money.

4. Set Up a Preview

Request the installation of one system on a vehicle. Assess the results with your installer to fine-tune the camera views, test DVR settings and identify potential barriers. Once you approve the setup, your installer can apply the same specs to the remaining installations to save time.

5. Be Available During Installations

Avoid costly do-overs by being present during installations. Should issues arise, you’ll be the first to know, enabling you to address questions quickly or make calls to find answers.

6. Require Sign-off Sheets

Have installers sign completion forms prior to receiving payment. A sign-off sheet after every installation helps ensure completion, accuracy and quality workmanship by the installer.

7. Request a Guarantee

If installation-related problems arise, you’ll want reassurance that they will be fixed at no charge. Ask your installer for a guarantee lasting a year or longer. When purchasing hardware, buy from a reputable vendor, like REI, with speedy turnaround on parts. In the unlikely event you receive a defective product, a replacement is sent within two business days.

8. Ask For 24/7/365 Support

When questions arise, installers need answers fast. Live, in-house Support can help prevent downtime. Let’s say your installer wants to confirm your REI camera system is operating correctly. You could call REI Support at any hour for troubleshooting assistance.

Contact REI for more information about its HD safety solutions and planning tips to facilitate their installation.

The views expressed are those of the content sponsor and do not reflect those of School Transportation News.

The post 8 Must-Know Tips for Bus Camera System Installations appeared first on School Transportation News.

Leo eagerly waved to his school bus driver, excited for the weekend ahead. His plan: attend a high school football game that night and a birthday party on Saturday. He could hardly wait. Unfortunately, a motorist could hardly wait for Leo’s bus to pick him up and hurried past, spoiling Leo’s excitement – and his weekend fun.

What really happened? Did Leo’s enthusiasm lead to the event? Was the school bus stopped? Stop arm extended?

So many questions, so few answers. But the district obtained answers within minutes thanks to their fleet management solution’s automated features and a stop-arm camera system.

Now, to address stop-arm violations like the district, your operation would need to integrate these reliable REI products: an AI Stop-Arm Violation Camera, one or two license plate cameras, a sensor harness, an HD6 DVR and ARMOR Software Suite, the cloud-based, wireless fleet management solution.

Together, the products would capture data and HD images with little to no effort from your team. Here’s how:

• The AI Camera would see a motorist enter its detection zone while the stop arm was out and automatically mark the video on your DVR.
• The marker would automatically prompt ARMOR to download the violation video from your DVR.
• ARMOR would also be prompted to send event alerts to your team to initiate a timely investigation.
• Your license plate camera(s) would capture images of the violator’s license plate(s).
• All images and metadata would be saved in ARMOR, ready for review and sharing by your operation shortly after the incident.

Wouldn’t you like to resolve events quickly? Provide greater peace of mind for parents, students and your district? Streamline your fleet management to save time and money? REI solutions make it possible.

Using the integrated solutions, Leo’s district verified the stop-arm violation by an impatient driver. Also confirmed: Leo’s bus had completely stopped, and its flashing stop arm was fully extended. Even so, the motorist’s speed made it impossible for Leo to avoid her. Luckily, he escaped the potentially catastrophic event with a broken arm due to the motorist’s side mirror.

The breathtaking incident happened on a quiet, two-lane highway near Leo’s home. It’s just one of the estimated 250,000+ illegal stop-arm passings that occur on a single day, according to a National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services survey. So, the need for violation detection exists.

Imagine having powerful tools to help deter, prevent and resolve stop-arm violations quickly. Think of the time, effort and stress you’d save. The savings and safety benefits could be transformative for your operation.

There’s no time to wait!

For more information about this solution, or a more advanced stop-arm solution, contact REI.

The views expressed are those of the content sponsor and do not reflect those of School Transportation News.

The post What’s the 411 on Stop-Arm Violations? appeared first on School Transportation News.