School Bus Fleet, February 2021

31 SBF06 1190120 School Bus Fleet eNews Insights for public operators and contract service providers cherry picked for your inbox ú Latest News Product Info ú Updates on Training Events Around the Country Our Social Side We consider this our two way radio with our readers Engage with us ú Network with Your Industry ú New Content Daily ú Find Us Here In Person Network and build relationships with other action minded individuals involved in pupil transportation ú Includes Networking Outings One On One Meetings Focus Groups And General Session ú Visit schoolbusfleetconnex com Webinars A powerful way to receive much needed training and information ú Robust and Dedicated Content ú On Demand When You Need It Engage In The Full School Bus Fleet Experience Visit schoolbusfleet com Subscribe To Level Up Your School Bus Fleet Experience SHARING THIS COPY OF Get Your Own Digital Edition Subscription Available Founded in 1956 School Bus Fleet provides a wealth of information for public operators and contract service providers on the topic of management and maintenance of school bus fleets operated by public school districts private schools Head Start agencies and child care centers ú The On Demand Style You Deserve ú Get Access To All Previous Issues ú schoolbusfleet com subscribe trict parked the Kajeet SmartBus vehicles directly outside the hospitals business offices so that staf could connect their devices and continue operations until their onsite connectivity was restored according to Billy Huish the districts transportation director Were learning and experimenting with our buses he says Its not just about having Wi Fi on the buses its about seeing how we can use them for the safety and well being of our community As transportation staff we need to ask ourselves How can we use our vehicles for a greater benefit especially in the case of an emergency In addition to helping its local hospital Huish says Farmington Municipal Schools is also working to use its connected fleet of 33 buses to assist emergency preparedness plans in schools specifically in providing connectivity during reunification eforts Sadiah Thompson@ bobit com sion and an annual data package per bus Leclerc says These features she adds can keep districts updated on their current data status and allow them enough time to decide whether they should suspend a service or purchase more data If a school district prefers to use their own data plan Safe Fleet recommends finding a carrier that has pre established rates 5 FIND ALTERNATIVE USES The connected school bus extends far beyond assisting students in completing their homework tasks says AngelTraxs Howard Wi Fi equipped school buses can be used to service many community needs from opening more communication channels to helping districts coordinate meal deliveries to families in need This past summer in the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic Farmington N M Municipal Schools used two of its Wi Fi enabled school buses to help a local hospital after the medical buildings internet connection went down The disset filtering guidelines based on their specific needs The main advantage Leclerc says is reducing students exposure to any harmful or inappropriate content 4 KEEP A FLEXIBLE DATA PLAN Having an adaptable data plan gives school districts the opportunity to create a truly customized connectivity solution that best fits with the districts current learning plan whether thats going remote introducing hybrid learning or returning to the classroom according to Gene Ballard Kajeets director of strategy Under Kajeets SmartBus solution school districts can purchase data plans in bulk for sharing across all connected buses as needed eliminating overage costs Ballard says Customers can also roll over data from month to month ensuring it is never wasted With Safe Fleets Smart Reach Hotspot users can receive high usage alerts and reports granting them the ability to manage data usage parameters for each user ses FEBRUARY 2021 SCHOOL BUS FLEET