The discussion of GPS monitoring on school buses may have suggested the topic was rather controversial, but a new survey by Fleetmatics Group PLC shows parents are largely united in support of the new technology.
Nearly nine in 10 parents said they want closer GPS monitoring of buses and their drivers, and the majority agreed more visibility into their child’s safety aboard the bus would be beneficial.
School Transportation News suggests recent cases of school bus drivers facing DUI charges and recent crashes have raised concerns about school bus safety and parents’ concerns are reflected in the latest survey, as driver safety was number one in the areas parents said need the most improvement.
The parents who responded to the survey also said they would prefer theuse of technology to directly monitor bus drives’ safe driving and increase accountability. Key findings of the survey include:
- 85 percent of the parents agree that “monitoring school buses via GPS tracking would make for greater overall safety and more timely bus service,” and half believe this strongly;
- Nearly 9 in 10 (88 percent) favor “monitoring bus drivers for safe driving practices such as speeding or erratic driving,” and 62 percent strongly favor it;
- 77 percent are interested in the “ability to monitor (their) child’s school bus’ exact location and status” (i.e., via a link on the school’s website), with 42 percent very interested; and
- 33 percent said their school districts need to improve school bus timeliness.
Parents’ concern about the safety and whereabouts of their children when they ride the school bus is a powerful and important issue — as Havre Public Schools administrators and countless other similar Fleetmatics customers will tell you,” said Todd Ewing, the company’s director of product marketing. “Readily available technology can play an important role in giving them the peace of mind they are seeking.”
