Let’s Think This Through … Is GPS Tracking Worth It?

Henrico (county, Virginia) schools may get GPS for buses

A proposed pilot global positioning system program in Henrico County Public Schools’ 2008-09 budget could give the transportation office and parents information — and peace of mind — more quickly.

The program, budgeted at $275,000, would allow personnel to instantly know the location of any school bus, which could allay parents’ concerns over bus delays and increase office efficiency. It also could assist in planning bus routes.

The GPS item is part of HCPS’ proposed $508.8 million budget. A similar proposal in last year’s budget was removed.

Currently, when a parent calls one of the four area offices or main transportation office, a dispatcher radios the bus for its location and estimated time of arrival. The information is then relayed back to the office and the parent… read the full article here.

Well now let’s see.  The total budget is supposed to be $508,800,000.  Wow, half a billion dollars.  The GPS proposal is about a half a percent of that.  Wow, really throwing that money around down there in Virginia, aren’t they.  Now they did get a little bit of the puzzle right … but they ignored some big potential savings here as well:

• Eliminate thousands of hours of labor in radio position checks
• Eliminate confusion or out and out lying about where busses are
• Assist in planning routes … you bet, this can be big on its own

But like the commercial is famous for saying, "Wait, there’s more"!  How about:

• Physical Security … know where the students, drivers and busses are at all times
• Safety … monitor driver performance in real-time, automatically
• Fuel Savings … it’s easy to get 5% or ore, even on routed vehicles … guaranteed
• Pollution Reduction … how many hours a month does each buss idle?  It’s easy to reduce this by 10%
• Location Pollution … federal law limits idling in proximity to school buildings … how to enforce without GPS?
• Elimination supervision … why have paid supervisors driving the country when they can monitor from HQ?

There’s a few more savings hiding in the wings, but this is more than enough to start with … go Henrico … get smart and get it passed this year, I don’t see how you can afford not to.

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