Nextel GPS Tracking System Installed on School Buses
Written by PGCPS
23 February 2005
PGCPS Leads the State in Advancing Bus Safety; Nextel GPS Tracking System Installed on School Buses
UPPER MARLBORO, Md.- Feb. 23, 2005--Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) and Nextel Communications, Inc. are collaborating to deploy a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) wireless system on more than 1,300 school buses by the end of the school year. This will allow administrators to track the location of all PGCPS buses in real-time. PGCPS is the first school district in the state to deploy GPS in all its buses. The system will transmit latitude and longitude information to the dispatch center, allowing PGCPS personnel to monitor location information on buses as they pick up and drop-off children along their routes, helping to increase efficiency, reduce operating costs, and improve safety.
PGCPS buses transport nearly 100,000 students twice daily. According to School Bus Fleet, a national trade magazine serving U.S. transportation professionals, PGCPS ranks fifth in the nation for its number of daily riders. Eventually, the PGCPS fleet of more than 1,300 school buses will be outfitted with mounted Nextel i58sr GPS-enabled handsets. Each handset will be equipped with Comet Tracker, a GPS tracking application developed by ActSoft, Inc., a leading transportation software developer, as well as Nextel Direct Connect(R) walkie-talkie service. This allows for instant voice communications between drivers, the PGCPS dispatchers, and individual bus lots. It also gives drivers the capability to contact 911 in an emergency situation. The project is being financed primarily through savings from federal E-Rate funds.
"Nothing is more important than the safety of our children," said Dr. Andre J. Hornsby, Chief Executive Officer for Prince George's County Public Schools. "With this new system, we will be able to monitor and locate any and all school buses instantly. We will always know the location of our students, drivers, and buses in spite of inclement weather, traffic, or any other event. Additionally, it will provide us with information that will allow us to design bus routes that are more efficient and effective. This demonstrates the cutting-edge technology being utilized by Prince George's County Public Schools."
The GPS system wirelessly transmits location information on Nextel's all-digital, wireless network to a server, where data is monitored by the Communications Center at the school system's Transportation Department. Bus locations are displayed on a map, allowing the dispatchers to quickly recognize if a bus is delayed or off course. Minute-by-minute updates of bus locations offer the ability to view an exact bus route and generate efficiencies over a period of time. Location data can be stored to help manage buses more effectively.
"With this innovative system, PGCPS has the ability to know where their buses are, where they are going and how to get them there in the most efficient manner," said Chris Hackett, Nextel's vice president for Federal Programs. "If there is a delay or a break down, they know immediately and they can communicate with the bus driver instantly via Nextel's Direct Connect walkie-talkie service to provide assistance. Given the precious passengers riding in these buses - this is an important tool."
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