A survey released last week by fleet vehicle SaaS firm Fleetmatics, claims that while a majority of parents are satisfied with school bus safety, they want to see increased technology, such as student and vehicle tracking. They also want to see improved screening of school bus drivers.
Eighty-percent of parents and 79 percent of all respondents said they are satisfied with the timeliness of school buses at campus in the morning and returning students home after school. Fleetmatics said in a release that this finding suggests “a high level of trust that parents and students will not be left waiting.”
Fleetmatics commissioned KRC Research to conduct an online survey of 1,094 U.S. adults over the age of 18, 296 of which identified themselves as parents. The company then published the results for National School Bus Safety Week, Oct. 17-22.
The biggest improvement needed, according to 55 percent of all adults and 53 percent of parents, is “more rigorous screening for drivers.” Roughly the same percentage of parents called for increased options for parents and school officials to monitor school bus location via GPS, while 44 percent of all adults agreed with that statement.
However, 71 percent of all respondents said they are confident in the current state of school bus safety, which includes operators ensuring safe driving behaviors.
The survey claims that confidence dips when it comes to school bus tracking technology, as 63 percent of all adults and 62 percent of parents agreed that today’s school buses are equipped with adequate tools to locate, track, route and re-route buses safely and effectively. Forty-four percent of all respondents and 42 percent of parents said they are “somewhat confident” in school bus tracking.
The three most requested technology upgrades to school buses were text updates to parents when buses are running late (60 percent of parents, 58 percent of all), an app parents can use for tracking their child’s school bus (59 percent of parents, 50 percent of all) and GPS tracking to monitor school bus location (52 percent of parents, 51 percent of all).
The need for better school bus braking technology was cited by 45 percent of all respondents and 43 percent of parents. Forty-two percent of parents also called for newer school buses.
Fleetmatics pointed out ongoing National Highway Safety Administration data that school buses are the nations safest mode getting students to and from school because the vehicles must meet more Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards than any other type.
