by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Today marks the beginning of the school year for Duval County Public Schools, but as many students rub their eyes and shake the cobwebs off during their early morning school bus commute, they should notice something new.
The buses they’re traveling in are brand new — and vastly improved.
Purchased locally from Rivers Bus Sales, the fleet of 275 vehicles isn’t just a shine-up job from the former models. Instead, they come fully equipped with numerous additions such as GPS, video cameras, seat belts in every seat and a new alarm system.
“We’re excited and the drivers are excited,” said Chris Ingold, manager of Student Transportation of America’s Duval County Terminals.
The school bus company was selected earlier in the year to provide busing for both Arlington and the Beaches and is the third largest school bus transportation service organization in the country.
Each new feature doubles as both a safety and accountability measure for the drivers and has officials gauging its potential. The GPS will help drivers with directions and detours while also providing transportation officials with an up-to-the minute display of route times and stops. Three individual cameras will monitor the driver, students and outside traffic, while seat belts provide the additional safety for students. In addition, the new Child Check-Mate Safety System is an electronic monitor on the back of the bus drivers must physically walk to and push to enact an alarm, which ensures that no sleeping children are left behind.
While each of the new features might seem foreign initially, one thing students should recognize are the faces behind the wheel.
Following interviews that reassessed qualifications and credentials, 85 percent of the drivers, monitors and maintenance and administrative personnel from prior service provider, First Student, accepted positions with Student Transportation.
In addition to the new buses and technology, a pilot program will further enhance a few of the company’s buses this school year. The program will convert 10 buses to run on biofuel, made mostly of chicken fat, said Ingold, and should reduce greenhouse emissions and provide further saving for the company.
The pilot buses will split up, with both regular and Exceptional Student Education formatted buses taking part as well as routes of different lengths and varying amounts of stops. Ingold said the six-month program will be monitored for mileage and cost efficiency.
So while students might have butterflies in their stomach for the first day of school, the excitement and newness doesn’t stop there.
“I like them a lot,” said Michael Cameron, a backup driver with Student Transportation. “They’re newer, safer, cleaner .... and they handle better.”
For Ingold, she hopes the new features will make a solid and lasting impression.
“Things are great here and we’re all looking forward to the school year,” she said.
356-2466