Hub school buses get Safer and Cheaper using GPS

Hub school buses to roll despite drivers' GPS gripeBy Kevin RothsteinTuesday, September 6, 2005 - Updated: 09:38 AM EST
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=101177

Well, school’s back in and here’s some more of the usual misguided griping.  The school district is charged with the safety of the students and with the efficient transportation of the kids.  The drivers get paid to drive, but instead have been found parked and napping; driving their busses on personal shopping trips and various other acts of unprofessionalism

Does the driver’s union work to make their ranks professional? Oh heck no, they threaten to time up the start of school, fighting to keep management from controlling the drivers and busses that they pay for.

Kudos to the school district management for living up to the responsibility of their positions and refusing to let the tail wag the dog.  Boston’s children _and_ Boston’s bus drivers will be safer.

In fairness to the union, they did strike a bargain at the last minute to allow the program to move on with a delay, to be negotiated, in implementing the use of the GPS system to punish drivers for misconduct.  This is the implementation plan my company always proposes.  There is no need to start out using the GPS as a punishment tool.  The very fact that the fleet is being observed causes the majority of drivers who might not be puling their weight to “self correct”.

The one point not brought out in the article is how much of a tool the GPS can be for proving driver’s good work.  No unfounded claims about the bus driver being early and standing little Johnny.  No lies about the bus speeding through a residential area.  Proof of how much the driver did or didn’t idle the engine in restricted areas near schools… the list goes on.  A professional driver who cares about doing a good job should never fear GPS.  And management, trying to figure out how to stretch a $2 a gallon fuel budget to accommodate $3 dollars and up should, frankly, fear _not_ having a management system.