Depending on how long you've been working in schools, you might remember the “good” old days when bus route planning was done by hand. The transportation coordinator stayed up late at night using pushpins and string on a map to try to create bus routes. And, sure, it worked... but it was hardly the most efficient way of planning routes.

We've come a long way with transportation systems in the last few decades. Virtually anyone reading this likely remembers the days before GPS systems and computer-based mapping. After all, the standard GPS systems only officially went online in 1994! (It seems like longer, doesn't it?)

With so many different advances in technology, being able to expertly manage and coordinate an entire fleet of vehicles has become much easier. Busses and vans can be individually tracked on a live-updated map which can show highly detailed information about neighborhoods, major roads, landmarks, and other important markers. It can also help track the consumption of gas for budgeting as well as making sure that all vehicles are on the right track and on time. All from the updates technology and a GSM GPS tracker has brought us.

Traditionally, school districts are hesitant to invest in new technology. There are a number of reasons for this, with the cost of new tech being among the most pressing. Without donations of machines, it's difficult for a school to afford to outfit itself with new technologies as they become available.

Technology and software is becoming such a commonplace part within life that it is almost hard to believe how we were able to get work done in the years before computers and computer software. But now things have become much easier and much more convenient all from the information right in front of you on your screen and at your fingertips, and it's only going to become even easier and more convenient as time goes by.

Gone are the days of having to use pen, paper, and manually putting in reports for an entire fleet of buses. Say goodbye to the ways of having to chart through large maps and use push-pins--now, you can easily keep track of everything, from routing to scheduling to the children on the buses themselves, with the aid of routing and scheduling software all at your fingertips.

One of the biggest fears of transportation coordinators, school administrators, parents, and even school bus drivers, is a missing child during the transportation to and from school. While it may be uncommon to have a missing child issue during the entirety of your career, it can still happen. All schools have their own "what if" scenarios planned out and ready to be utilized should such a thing happen, and normally these sort of contingency plans are created early to make sure that everyone involved is safe and found.