Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in TAPinto Madison.
New technology also improves communication with parents
Mendham, NJ – Beginning on the first day of school on Sept. 5, Mendham Township Elementary and Middle School students will have safer bus rides thanks to the district’s investment in innovative technology.
The new technology, part of a partnership with the midwestern transportation technology company Transportant, features multiple real-time cameras and audio on every school bus to help manage student behavior and disruptions. In addition, the technology also monitors bus ridership; with students using their IDs to swipe on and off the bus, and drivers communicating with the school transportation department using iPads and interactive monitoring stations to plan routes and, seating assignments. Parents can also download a mobile app called Bus Compass to help reduce the anxiety of not knowing where buses and students are.
“This new program will provide our school buses with the latest technology available,” said Mendham Township School District Superintendent Sal Constantino. “It will increase student safety and improve communications with district parents who will be able to track their child’s route to and from school.”
The technology also helps school bus drivers get to know students as they will see photos of them, their names, and any special needs; a ridership tracker; bus stop locations and turn-by-turn directions. “This Uber-like cloud-based real-time technology helps Mendham schools extend a safe, optimal door-to-door school experience,” said Transportant CEO Martin Staples.
Since the Mendham Township School District also provides busing for other neighboring schools, those schools’ students and parents will also benefit from this new technology. Those schools are: the Chester School District, Gill St. Bernards School, the Mendham Borough School District, West Morris Mendham High School and the Educational Services Commission of Morris County.
The Mendham Township Board of Education approved an agreement with Transportant in the spring. The agreement included the installation of the cameras and Transportant technology in 35 school buses.
Transportant innovates and provides school bus technology that enhances safety and efficiency to school districts throughout the U.S. and Canada, Staples said. Integrated into a school’s existing transportation management system, the Transportant system shows where every school bus is, who is on the bus, and what is happening.
Its solution includes the first and only live camera and audio system for incident alerts and proactive resolution of problems on the bus, according to Staples. The system interfaces with a dashboard, school administrator app, and parent/guardian app. There are 78 school districts which use Transportant technology across the country. Overall, the system also increases productivity and efficiency, which can reduce costs for school districts.
Mendham Elementary School PTO President Melissa Saharko praised the district for improving transportation security and communications.
“This sounds fantastic,” Saharko said. “When we get storms and the buses get rerouted, it is not always clear if they will make it to my house or not. This will help us make the decision if we need to drive our children to school or not.”
The app will also improve life for working parents, she said. “This way, I do not have to stand around and wait for them,” Saharko said. “I will know when they will be coming so this will save time.”
Saharko also said she liked the idea of installing cameras on the buses. “They can better document what is happening on the bus,” she said.
In addition, Saharko says her middle school student sometimes takes the early bus for orchestra practice or other school activities and her daughter has special needs, “so this gives me a feeling of security to know that they are safe on the bus. This is also great for middle school kids because it allows them to be more independent.”
