Houston ISD Tracks Bus Fleet with AT&T Wireless Network

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 05/12/09

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The Houston Independent School District (HISD) will be monitoring the whereabouts of its school buses wirelessly. The district has signed a contract for AT&T fleet management services, enabling the school district to wirelessly monitor its fleet of 1,100 school buses and vehicles by using GPS technology over the AT&T wireless network.

The AT&T solution enables HISD to remotely track, in real time, the location and speed of its vehicles and confirm that its buses are traveling along scheduled routes and stops. Additionally, the school district can monitor when a vehicle's ignition is turned on or off and whether or not safety lights and exit doors are working properly.

"The insight delivered from this solution is invaluable--providing control, insight, and accountability for managing our buses and other vehicles," said Aric Taylor, manager of routing and scheduling for the district. "Remotely tracking our vehicles and drivers enhances our ability to deliver Houston ISD students to school on time and keep them safe, which is our top priority."

The district also expects to reduce fuel and maintenance costs with the fleet management solution by routing its vehicles more efficiently. It also plans to evaluate locations of its school bus stops to see whether they should be moved to safer, more accessible locations. Real-time communication with safety officers, whose vehicles are equipped with GPS technology, could enable HISD to complete bus stop evaluations in less than a day, a task that normally could have taken a week or more.

The Houston Independent School District, the largest school district in Texas, encompasses 296 schools and 200,000 students.