Earlier this year, Zonar announced an exclusive partnership with BusPatrol, the leader in stop-arm enforcement technology. Together, we are committed to protecting student riders by outfitting school bus fleets with the latest stop-arm enforcement technology and smart fleet management solutions.
Read on to discover why this partnership is so pivotal to student safety and the future of student transportation.
The School Bus Stop-Arm Safety Program Protects Students from Dangerous Stop-Arm Violations
During the 2018-2019 school year, there were more than 17 million stop-arm violations in the US —2 million more than the previous year. Passing a school bus with its stop-arm extended can cost a life and school children aged 4 to 7 years old are most vulnerable.
Zonar and BusPatrol’s school bus stop-arm safety program reduces these violations by identifying and educating drivers as to why passing an extended stop-arm is so dangerous.
How it works
BusPatrol’s complete solution for stop-arm enforcement includes industry-leading hardware, software, processes and our own trained safety experts.
1. Cameras are installed on the buses to record illegal stop-arm violations from different depths and angles
2. BusPatrol safety experts review the footage, along with GPS and timecode data sent via an encrypted cellular network to BusPatrol’s secure cloud system
3. An evidence package is then sent to law enforcement for approval
4. Offenders are issued a citation
This seamless safety enforcement program empowers school officials to change the driving culture in their community. Plus, it enables school bus drivers to focus on their precious cargo and the road while trusting the stop-arm camera technology to record violators’ information.
BusPatrol and Zonar Provide a Complete and Holistic Solution
The BusPatrol safety program goes beyond route enforcement to also cover route planning and route executions through the integration of smart fleet management solutions, ensuring maximum fleet health.
As part of a shared mission to protect student riders, Zonar and BusPatrol also provide:
- internal safety cameras
- telemetry
- electronically verified COVID-19 sanitization protocols
- AI-assisted school driver coaching
- touchless rider visibility
- driver tablets and mobile apps
- live-streaming
- panic alerts
- and more
Using these technologies, school districts can automate processes and collect valuable data to make students’ journey to and from school as safe as possible.
Full-fleet Deployment is Essential
Across the districts we partner with, BusPatrol and Zonar are committed to providing equitable access to safety technology to all students. We believe that every student rider should benefit from the holistic safety technology suite available to school districts through BusPatrol’s safety programs, no matter where they live.
Whether children live in a densely populated urban area that sees multiple stop-arm violations a day, or a rural area with few infractions for cost-recovery, they will be protected by stop-arm enforcement technology.
Empower those in charge
But in-depth information on a fraction of a school’s fleet is not enough to provide useful insight. You need to see the big picture to manage your whole fleet. A full-fleet approach is the only way to provide school transportation directors and superintendents with the data and tools necessary to make informed safety decisions. Through the power of data, BusPatrol and Zonar empower school and municipal officials with the information they need to create a safer, more secure, and efficient pupil transportation system.
Change the culture of driving
We change motorist behavior around school buses and create a safer driving culture. Through full-fleet deployment of stop-arm cameras, communities learn that illegally passing any school bus will result in a citation being mailed to violators. The effect of full-fleet enforcement is magnified through targeted public service announcements and safety campaigns. Targeted public service announcements and safety campaigns magnify the effect.
Solve the Efficiency and Safety Puzzle
Every school district wants to protect its students. Unfortunately, due to limited budgets and underfunding, many cannot afford the best possible safety technology. This partnership solves the efficiency versus safety puzzle. Thanks to an innovative, safety-first model, school transportation officials no longer have to choose between efficiency and safety. Entirely funded by violators
BusPatrol invests in modernizing entire school bus fleets with its safety enforcement technology and Zonar’s smart fleet management solutions. The program is entirely violator funded and requires no capital outlay from our program partners, municipalities, or taxpayers. When stop-arm violators pay their fines, they fund the procurement, maintenance and management of all safety technology, plus the underlying human resources and processes that power the program.
The entire comprehensive school bus safety technology package requires zero upfront payment from school districts or municipalities—period. Not one penny. BusPatrol assumes all financial risk for the partnership’s safety technology and program maintenance. Even if your district does not issue a single ticket, your fleet will still benefit from the holistic safety technology suite the program provides. Many districts are already using the technologies provided in this program to safeguard student riders and enhance efficiency—without tapping their existing funds.
Contact us to learn more about how BusPatrol and Zonar improve student safety.
