Plano-based tech company helping school bus drivers amid nationwide shortage – The Dallas Morning News
A Plano-based tech company’s navigation system is helping school districts deal with a bus driver shortage and retain employees.
The system, Tyler Drive, was created by Tyler Technologies. More than 300 districts across the nation u…….
A Plano-based tech company’s navigation system is helping school districts deal with a bus driver shortage and retain employees.
The system, Tyler Drive, was created by Tyler Technologies. More than 300 districts across the nation use the system, according to a Nov. 1 report in School Transportation News. Melissa and Tyler ISDs in Texas are among the districts using Tyler Drive.
Here’s how it works. An illuminated data-tracking tablet mounts to the bus driver’s dashboard. The system provides detailed information about routes and students and also a faster transition for substitute drivers, said Jerad Castor, director of transportation for Melissa ISD.
The tablet screen helps drivers as they do not have to try to sort through outdated paper route instructions.
“Our drivers get to work really early,” Castor said. “They clock in at 6 a.m. Even before the time change, it’s still dark. The illuminated screen gives them turn-by-turn instructions and drivers are not having to look at a piece of paper in the dark.”
Tyler Drive also helps increase efficiency through GPS navigation that can provide audio and visual guidance, Castor said. The system has tracking technology that gives updates in real time and shows the exact locations of student bus stops. That can make for an easier transition for new or substitute drivers.
The chance of a student getting lost or missing a stop is also greatly reduced with the system. Student ID cards track when students enter and exit the bus. Tyler Drive shows how many students are on the bus, along with their names, grade levels and bus stops.
The system will alert the driver if a student exits at an unassigned stop. Additionally, drivers have access to emergency contact information.
Melissa ISD gradually brought the system online and it is now fully up and running, Castor said. About one-half or roughly 2,000 of Melissa ISD’s students rely on bus transportation to get to and from school.
Tyler Drive is one tool districts are using to staff bus routes and get drivers trained quickly.
An August 2021 study by the National Association for Pupil Transportation and other groups noted that the pandemic has exacerbated a nationwide bus driver shortage, but the problem is not new, nor is it an an easy one to solve.
“This year, the benefits of Tyler Drive have been extremely important in helping with driver shortage concerns,” Tyler Technologies said in a prepared email …….
