COLUMBUS, Ohio — School bus GPS and fleet management company Zonar announced the winners of the seventh annual Don Carnahan Memorial Grant to equip about 1,500 school buses nationwide with hardware to enhance safety, security and efficiency.
Thirty-three school districts each are receiving up to $50,000 in technology that includes Zonar’s Electronic Verified Inspection Reporting (EVIR), GPS, V3 real-time engine diagnostic reports, Z Pass student tracking, and Ground Traffic Control and Tracking. Zonar added that the technology has helped to prevent the over 109 school bus crashes that occur each year.
For example, from 2013 to 2015 there was an estimated 328 school bus related accidents. But Zonar said only one, or 0.3 percent, involved a school bus operating with Zonar technology.
“Each year almost 30 percent of all bus-related crashes can be attributed to bus driver error.” said H. Kevin Mest, senior vice president and general manager of passenger services for Zonar. “This grant allows districts to acquire the equipment necessary to provide a school system with the ‘Inspect, Track and Know’ tools, keeping students safe on the road without being concerned about cost.”
The 33 school districts were recognized at the National Association for Pupil Transportation Summit. The winning districts must be eligible NAPT members. The represented states are: Arkansas; California; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Michigan; New Jersey; North Carolina; Oklahoma; Tennessee; Texas; Virginia; Washington; and Wyoming.
