b'PUBLISHERS CORNERSuperfast Moving TechnologyWritten by Tony Corpin | tony@stnonline.comA s a kid, I was surfing the internet with a 14.4Another notable company Harris mentioned is Apple, kb/s modem, and I thought that was flying.which is investing $4.7 billion annually into car R&D. Yes, Nowadays, that modem speed seems laugh- Apple, the computer and smart device company. It is not able, considering the rate at which data nowsupposed to be making cars. The investment is 20 times flows to and from our computers and mobile devices. more than all traditional auto manufacturers, combined.My first cell phone in 1997 was a Motorola flip phone.In five to seven years, Harris predicted well have Now, my iPhone X performs amazing feats, not to men- autonomous cars on the road. How will school transpor-tion connecting me to friends and family on calls and texttation be impacted?messages, at blistering speeds. In fact, thesmartphoneinHarris highlighted the disruptive force of ride share my pocket has more computing power than all of NASAcompanies like Uber and Lyft. I remember using taxis when it placed the first men on the moon in 1969. or renting cars, but now, I mainly use rideshare ser-A lot of people ask me if the school bus has changedvices. According to Forbes, millenials are buying fewer much in 30 years. My answer is yes, but they are still schoolcars than older generations. Why? Because ridesharing bus yellow. Inside, however, its a brand new ballgame. provides a great customer service experience and it has At STN EXPO Reno in July, I saw more electric schoolbecome easier than ever to simply request a car when buses and EVs on the trade show floor than ever before.you need one, and not worry about fuel, insurance and The options for school bus fuel and energy choices havemaintenance costs when you dont.come so far in the last decade, and yet clean diesel stillWill parents choose to place their children into vehi-remains at the top as the leading choice, according to acles that they can track and monitor via their personal recent STN readership study. But for how much longer?mobile devices? That it is already happening today. Sim-That might seem to be an outrageous question to manyply look at the number of school districts now using bus readers, but again consider what we did not know a mereapps, and the number of rideshare companies that have 10 years ago about where technology would take us.entered the student transportation market.Gasoline and propane are increasing in popularity withThe adoption of mobile apps and student tracking is a buyers. Now, enter electric school buses fueled by grants,growing trend in school transportation. More and more,VW Mitigation Trust Fund and government subsidies. technology companies are adapting to meet parent, stu-The recent STN EXPO Reno panel on Electrifying thedent and school district needs. I believe this will continue School Bus, sponsored by Southern California Edison,to be an essential part of the services that school transpor-was packed with attendees who werehungry for detailstation must offer. If school bus transportation ever wants on this emerging school bus energy trend.to compete longterm with other modes, technology One attendee I spoke with at the opening keynoteadoption will be essential.address the previous day said he would never buy anIt may seem far-fetched today, but these technolo-electric school bus. But after Jim Harris talk on Disrup- gy advancements arent far away. Industry disruptions tive Innovation in Student Transportation, the attendeerequire a different perspective and willingness to changed his mind. Why? changeand that is not easy to do.I have to be on the correct side of the trend curve, theIts an exciting time. From automated vehicles and ad-attendee told me. This technology is coming, whether Ivanced driver assistance systems, to 5G wireless and the like it or not, and my district needs to be ready for it.internet of things, all of these affect the school transpor-Harris displayed slides that showed Teslas rapid ad- tation industry.vance in market share. I was surprised to see the ModelIm looking forward to this continued debate. I chal-S catapult ahead of all major automotive luxury carslenge you to embrace change and to think differently.in 2015 and continue its increase exponentially. Har-ris shared that the Tesla Model 3 launch had 300,000 pre-orders worth $12.6 billion. It was the most successful car launch ever.66School Transportation NewsSEPTEMBER 2019'