Prince George's District tracks 1,300 school buses with mobile phone network: Nextel delivers real-time tracking for emergencies, routing efficiencies and overall safety.

Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) has more than a pretty good idea where its 1,300 school buses are at any moment during the school day.

Truth is, administrators at PGCPS know precisely and in real-time where their buses are thanks to a just-installed Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) wireless system. Administrators at the sprawling, 7,000-square-mile Maryland school district's Communications Center's Transportation Department track on a computerized map the speed and location of each school bus. "As soon as the engine on the bus is turned on, the GPS--which is embedded in a mounted Nextel i58sr mobile phone to the left of the driver--immediately begins tracking the bus' movements," says Tony Liberatore, PGCPS' Chief Administrator for Supporting Services. "It is the greatest tool in the world, as far as we're concerned, when it comes to reassuring parents. When a worried parent calls us up wondering where their child is, we can tell them precisely where the bus is and when it will arrive at the student's stop."

"These students are the most precious cargo anyone can transport and now we've taken a lot of the worry out of the experience," he says.

In fact, PGCPS, which ranks fifth in the nation for its number of daily riders on its 1,354 twice-daily routes, is doing a lot more than just eliminating parental concerns. The system, which was designed and maintained by collaborator Nextel Communications Inc., allows for instant voice communications between drivers, the PGCPS dispatchers, and individual bus lots. It also gives drivers the capability to contact 911 in an emergency situation. The tracking ability also alerts administrators to routing problems. "We can monitor location information on buses as they pick up and drop-off children along their routes, helping to increase efficiency, reduce operating costs and tweak bus routes."

The practical benefits extend beyond the merely practical: "This system allows us to immediately identify and remedy the very common situation when a student gets on the wrong bus," Liberatore says, "but it also provides us a history of the bus' speed and driving behavior. If a bus driver, for example, were guilty of--heaven forbid--reckless driving, the [GPS] software would alert us to that fact. The plasma screen at the Communications Center looks like an air-traffic controller screen sometimes."

Each handset, which is secured and is not accessible for the driver to use while he or she is driving, is equipped with Comet Tracker, a GPS tracking application developed by ActSoft Inc., a leading transportation software developer, as well as Nextel Direct Connect[R] walkie-talkie service. The project is being financed through a joint effort of the school system and federal grants.

"Nothing is more important than the safety of our children," says Dr. Andre J. Hornsby, Chief Executive Officer for PGCPS. "With this new system, we will always know the location of our drivers and buses in spite of inclement weather, traffic, or any other event. That's a level of safety and information that would have been impossible to achieve just a short time ago."

For more information, contact Terri Wheeler at 703-433-3714.