Illinois School Bus/Palos Heights elementary schools among first in nation to install ZPassTM tracking system that records when and where students enter and exit buses
PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. — In Palos Heights, some elementary schools now have a way to keep track of children who ride school buses. School District 128 and Illinois School Buses are among the first in the country to utilize a combination of radio frequency identification (RFID) and GPS technology to monitor when and where students get on and off school buses.
The children are issued ID cards that attach to backpacks and an electronic “reader” is located near the front door of the school bus. The date, time and location is coupled with the child’s name when a student enters or exits the bus, and the information is transmitted in real time to a secure database at each school and the superintendent’s office. Knowing if, when and where a student got on or off the bus accounts for a significant portion of calls parents make to schools.
The new ZPass™ tracking system will also help to ensure that none of the Palos Heights students are among those left on school buses each year. Representatives of Illinois School Bus, which is owned and operated by Cook-Illinois Corporation, say the new tracking system will be particularly useful the first few days of school as drivers adjust to new routes and children learn their bus stop locations.
“If a child isn’t home on time, parents can be assured that we have data showing that the bus is still in route, but might be running late,” says Tom O’ Sullivan, Cook-Illinois vice president.
“Palos Heights School District is committed to maximizing security measures for the safety of our children,” says Dr. Kathleen Casey, superintendent of Palos Heights District 128 schools. “By implementing RFID and GPS tracking technology on our school buses, we’ve added a safeguard to our transportation operations. Several of our parents have expressed their gratitude to the district for purchasing this technology and are reassured that the district will now be able to account for their children while being transported on buses. We are excited to work in partnership with Cook Illinois on this new endeavor.”
About Cook-Illinois Corporation
Illinois School Bus, located in Crestwood, IL, is owned and operated by Cook-Illinois Corporation, Oak Forest, IL, which is the nation’s largest independent school bus company.
In addition to its focus on safety, Cook-Illinois is one of the greenest school bus companies in the country. It was one of the first in the country to switch its entire fleet of nearly 2,000 buses to biodiesel fuel and created the Clean Air Club bus, a mobile museum to teach students about renewable fuels and the importance of clean air. And, in 2009, it purchased the first hybrid school bus in Illinois.
About ZPass™
The ZPass™ student ridership tracking system is a product of Zonar Systems, a company that provides electronic inspection, tracking and operations solutions to public and private fleets. For more information log on to: www.zonarsystems.com.
