CHESAPEAKE, Va. — In an industry first, BusPatrol has equipped electric buses with its suite of safety technology at Chesapeake Public Schools in Virginia.
The school district recently upgraded its fleet with the addition of two new electric buses, as part of a sustainability initiative with Dominion Energy. The electric vehicles will be the first in the world to be equipped with BusPatrol safety technology.
Last year, Chesapeake Public Schools partnered with BusPatrol to implement its School Bus Safety Program to improve student safety and deter drivers from illegally passing stopped school buses. All 583 buses in the district were equipped with technology from BusPatrol and its technology partners Zonar at no cost.
Now, BusPatrol is expanding its offering by outfitting the electric buses with its suite of safety technology including stop-arm cameras, 4G LTE connectivity, DVR and storage devices, cloud-managed 360-degree safety cameras (interior, windshield, rearview, and side load cameras), and GPS and telemetry.
Dr. David Benson, director of student transportation for Chesapeake Public Schools, said “We have been very pleased with our partnership with BusPatrol and the added layer of safety the stop-arm camera program provides to our students. With the increased focus on our electric buses, having stop-arm cameras installed on them will hopefully bring even more attention to the importance of stopping for a school bus when the stop-arm is activated.”
Speaking about the BusPatrol-equipped electric buses, Jean Souliere, CEO and founder at BusPatrol, said, “To be able to equip these modern, electric buses with BusPatrol’s technology is a big company milestone for us, and we’re proud to partner with Chesapeake Public Schools on this initiative.
“Our AI-powered safety technology works exactly the same on electric buses as diesel – arguably even better! Tools such as the panic alarm, live-streaming, and 360-degree cameras are now active even when the bus is off.”
“We look forward to outfitting more energy-efficient electric buses with our advanced safety tech over the next few months, as we work towards a safer and more sustainable future,” Souliere added.
About BusPatrol
BusPatrol is a safety technology company with the mission of making the journey to and from school safer for children. BusPatrol’s safety programs change driver behavior and create a culture of awareness and responsibility around school buses. In addition, they provide accessibility for school districts, and municipalities to modernize their entire school bus fleets by outfitting them with the latest stop-arm, route planning and route execution technology.
