Tag Archives: School Bus Fleet

New transportation software helping phase out manual bus inspections

Roughly 90 percent of HISD bus drivers are now completing their required twice-daily bus inspections electronically with Zonar, a fleet management and tracking system implemented by Transportation Services earlier this school year.

The success rate was determined as a result of one-on-one inspections conducted this week by the transportation leadership team at all four bus terminals. The spot checks were completed on-site each morning prior to the start of morning bus routes. Additional random checks will continue.

“We now have the ability to electronically collect fleet data, which is automatically accessible to our fleet maintenance department,” Transportation Services Interim General Manager John Wilcots IV said. “It’s made our manual inspection process obsolete.” Continue reading →

HISD Transportation Department’s Training Recognized Among Nation’s Best in 2013

A photo gallery and a video featuring emergency rescue training and bus riding safety in the Houston Independent School District Transportation Department were recognized among the nation’s best in 2013, according to School Bus Fleet, the leading magazine for school bus transportation nationwide.

The emergency rescue training took place in August 2013 and featured mock emergency drills to prepare bus drivers and attendants for a variety of crisis situations. The drills simulated the effects of a fire on a school bus, an armed intruder on board and a wreck involving a train. All activities involved real school buses, trains, vehicles, fire, smoke, weapons and staged injuries. The training was conducted in partnership with the Houston Fire Department. The photographs of this event were selected by School Bus Fleet magazine as Editors’ Picks for Photo Gallery of the Year for 2013.

In honor of National School Bus Safety week in October 2013, the HISD Transportation Department created a music video that covered such topics as proper boarding procedures, how to sit on a bus and the importance of reporting bullying. Students from Peck Elementary School, Yates High School and the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts were included in the video, along with district bus drivers and attendants. This video was included among both the most-viewed and most-liked stories by School Bus Fleet magazine readers for 2013. In addition, the video was also selected as Editors’ Picks for Videos of the Year for 2013. The videos were filmed by the district’s multimedia team.

“Both of these programs were incredibly fun and fully engaged our team and community,” said Nathan Graf, general manager for transportation. “Just being recognized for this work is reason for everyone here to be proud.”

Each day, about 925 HISD school buses travel 84,000 miles as they transport more than 32,000 students to and from school.