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Student safety is paramount when operating a school transportation system, and that means keeping track of your riders!
In particular, one situation that should be 100% preventable is when a student is left behind on the bus after a route. It doesn't happen often, but typically occurs a few times a year nationwide. Most of the time, no harm comes to the child - but it can cause a panic, or potentially even get police or lawyers involved.
Stay vigilant, and don't let students be left behind!
What To Do If A Child Is Forgotten On A Bus?
The moment a child is reported missing, you should be going through your records to see what information you have. Ideally, you have a student tracking system that records whenever they get on or off the bus. If not, it would be a wise investment. With that data, it's simple to see if a student got onboard but failed to depart.
Otherwise, whenever there's a report of a missing child, the bus should literally be the first place you check. They might be right under your nose, and you'll be able to prevent any kind of major disruptive search.
How Can Forgotten Students Be Prevented?
There are numerous ways of ensuring students are never left behind on the bus.
1 - Better software alerts
Along with tracking student ridership, modern school transportation software can also communicate directly with the bus driver. If a student is expected to exit at a particular stop, but doesn't, the driver can be notified before they pull away.
2 - Double-check after the bus returns
Even if the driver says they checked the bus for strays, it never hurts to put a second set of eyes on the problem. Send someone around to do a second check of the buses, just in case. It only takes a few minutes, and can significantly improve your student safety situation.
3 - Look in the back door
Often, lost students have decided to go to sleep in the back, or beneath the seats. They can usually be seen simply by standing outside the back door and looking in.
4 - Install motion detectors
If your budget somehow has money to spare, there are motion-detection systems which can be installed on buses. These will alert you if there's any movement onboard - which might potentially also prevent theft or vandalism as well.
BusBoss offers the most robust and affordable suite of transportation software on the market! Along with the ROUTEpatrol Tablet App that features an integrated child check system, ensuring students get where they need to go is our number one priority. Click here to request a live demo, and see for yourself how BusBoss can improve your student safety and save money at the same time.
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PRESIDENT
Sonia has been involved with BusBoss since the late 1990’s, and has personally overseen many projects for various customers ranging from large urban and suburban districts to smaller rural school districts from all over the country.
(484) 941-0820