Articles

First Student Awarded Student Transportation Contract with the Belvidere, IL School District 100

Press Release, March 2010

Cincinnati, OH - March 10, 2010 - First Student, Inc., the nation's leader in student transportation, has been awarded the school bus transportation contract for the Belvidere Community Unit School District 100 in Belvidere, IL, beginning July 2010. First Student is part...More>

Detroit Public Schools to Save $49 Million, Improve Safety by Outsourcing Student Transportation

Detroit Public Schools, February 2010

Detroit Public Schools is projected to improve the safety and efficiency of student transportation while saving $49 million over the next five years by fully outsourcing student transportation. DPS, which employs 289 bus drivers and 56 other transportation employees, currently outsources 51 percent of its transportation to three private companies as well as DDOT...More>

First Student Wins Seven-Year Contract to Provide Transportation for Wichita, Kan.

School Transportation News, January 2010

First Student, Inc., in a statement today announced it will take over school bus transportation for Wichita Public Schools USD 259, a contract that includes managing a fleet of 600 buses. The nation's largest private contractor of student transportation services, First Student will service the area for the next seven years, taking over a contract previously awarded to Durham School Services, the company said. The new contract will begin on Aug. 1, 2010. First Student will manage the fleet from three locations...More>

Lakota Buses Now Monitored by GPS

WCPO News, January 2010

There are now GPS devices on every school district bus in the Lakota schools district. The devices were installed over the last few weeks. Lakota school buses are run by the Petermann bus company, which spent $125,000 for the devices as an investment. The devices are expected to help the company evaluate routes...View Video>

First Student Expands Zonar Implementation

School Transportation News, January 2010

The new year brings increased safety for the more than 23,000 Memphis School District students after more than 300 school buses received GPS units, said contractor First Student. The nation's largest school transportation provider said the electronic- and satellite-based tracking systems from Zonar Systems are poised to provide the exact location and speed...More>

California County Saves Money and Reduces Fuel Consumption

The Bakersfield Californian, December 2009

Since Dad took charge of Kern County's vehicle fleet, county workers' lunch hours have never been quite the same. Dad (that's the nickname I've assigned to Kern County government's new GPS-powered vehicle monitoring system) has helped local taxpayers achieve savings of almost 122,000 miles on the cumulative public odometer during fiscal 2008-09 -- resulting in a 14 percent drop in fuel consumption...More>

PrePass Offering Suite of Fleet Management Tools

Fleet Owner, October 2009

While thousands of truck drivers and carriers take advantage of PrePass' weigh-station bypass services every day, the company is now taking those services a step further with the addition of a fleet management suite of products. Currently, PrePass users may bypass weigh stations with the use of an in-cab transponder...More>

Doing More with Your Data

Fleet Owner, October 2009

The market for GPS-based mobile resource management systems has grown to 3.6 million units, according to the comprehensive 2009 Mobile Resource Management Systems Market Study released by C.J. Driscoll & Associates. All those systems - deployed on computers, electronic onboard recorders, handhelds, cell phones and other devices - are gathering and delivering an incalculable amount of data...More>

New Technology Helps Keep Your Kids Safe on the School Bus

KING 5 News, October 2009

Today kicks off national school bus safety week and the Washington State Patrol has a new tool to help keep kids safe. Inspectors are now using a handheld electronic device to help record inspections for school bus fleets...View Video>

Washington State Patrol Records School Bus Inspections without the Paperwork

KING 5 News, October 2009

A new device is helping the Washington State Patrol inspect school buses without all the paperwork. Today kicks off national school bus safety week and a Seattle company called Zonar Systems came up with a handheld device that looks like a remote control to help record inspections for each bus. The device electronically records the data...View Video>

Zonar Helps Kick Off National School Bus Safety Week

KIRO 7 News, October 2009

A local company's new technology is helping to keep your kids safe on the school bus. Zonar showed off its equipment today to help kick off school bus safety week. Each team of school bus inspectors gets a handheld device to record a complete school bus inspection...View Video>

Keeping Your Kids Safe on the Ride to School

WKBW News 7, October 2009

There are so many things that can happen to a child in and around a school bus. For the 28,000 students who ride school buses in Buffalo, there are many precautions taken to keep them safe during their trip to and from school everyday...View Video>

Demonstrations Held Across the Nation to Display School Bus Safety

School Transportation News, October 2009

U.S. school districts and pupil transportation associations kicked off the annual School Bus Safety Week today with a host of presentations to the public that demonstrate how school buses safely transport children to and from school. The Washington State Patrol announced results from a statewide... More>

Zonar to Help Keep Seattle Buses Moving this Winter

KOMO 4 News, October 2009

The city spent $400,000 to develop the plan and pay for new equipment, upgrades and training in the hopes that next time a snowstorm hits like the one last December, the city's transportation system won't be paralyzed...View Video>

First Student Buses go High-Tech

The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, September 2009

Though school bus riders won't notice the difference, the district will soon be keeping a keener eye on its student cargo. First Student, the contractor that provides bus service to School District 51, has installed an electronic... More>

Gilbert Goes High-Tech with Garbage Trucks

East Valley Tribune, September 2009

Gilbert has some smart garbage trucks. Each of the solid waste department's 55 collection vehicles is equipped with software that can monitor not only where they're located in the fast-growing town... More>

Valley School Districts Track Buses for Safety, Saving Money

ABC15 News, September 2009

In a school district as large as Mesa Pubic Schools, keeping track of 18,000 bus riders and managing a fleet of more than 500 buses is a major task. "We're serious about what we do," said Doug Darbyshire, the transportation... More>

Bus Safety

Q13 Fox News, August 2009

Washington school districts ensure no child is left behind...View Video>

Keeping Track of Students

Q13 Fox News, August 2009

Lake Washington bus drivers are using a new technology to keep track of students...   View Video>

Environment School Bus

King5 News, August 2009

One local school district is taking their fleet to a higher level this year...View Video>

Lake Washington School District Buses Safer and Greener

Q13 FOX News, August 2009

All 145 school buses are now equipped with an electronic vehicle inspection system, GPS tracking and many have been upgraded... More>    View Video>

Violence, Illegal Crossings at U.S.-Mexico Border Heighten School Bus Security

School Transportation News, May 2009

Imagine hearing gunshots outside your home and wondering if your loved ones were the intended targets. Imagine picking up students and noticing that there are... More>

The Solution to Motorcoach Fires: Inspection, Detection and Notification

Busride Magazine, May 2009

Bus fires continue to be a pervasive problem for our industry. Speaking before the recent Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) safety summit... More>

Electronic Fleet Management Puts Transit On Fast Track

Metro Magazine, May 2009

Like many transit authorities, Calif.-based Foothill Transit used a paper system to record bus pre-trip inspections. "Managing all that paper had always been a bit... More>

Safety for Cents?

KOMO News, April 2009

You share the road with big rigs every day, but state records show hundreds are out on area highways with wheel defects that could put everyone at risk. A device costing pennies can help avoid many of the problems. So why aren't more truckers using it? View Video>

Fleets Online: Dairy Farmers of America Inc., Mountain Area

FleetOwner, February 2009

The Mountain Area of the Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) co-op is unique among the regions of the organization because it owns and operates a fleet of about ... More>

Budget Irony: Save a Little Now, Pay More Later

Las Vegas Sun, December 2008

Small black boxes, about 6 inches square, could save the Clark County School District hundreds of thousands of dollars a year... More>

CV Tracking Buses with Zonar

Spokesmanreview.com, December 2008

Santa Claus knows if local school bus drivers have been bad or good, and so does the Central Valley School District. Nearly the entire fleet of buses is being equipped with a system called Zonar, which combines a GPS system with a paperless bus inspection process... More>

50 Million Verified Visual Inspections Across All 50 States

Zonar Press Release, October 2008

Seattle - October 23, 2008 - Zonar Systems, a leading provider of fleet management solutions, today announced the achievement of several key milestones as part of their seven year anniversary celebration, including the completion of over 50 million verified visual inspections across all 50 states... More>

Spokane Public Schools Unveil New Buses

KREM Local News, August 2008

You may have seen some of the new school buses on the street today, and the new school bus drivers are trying to get used to new routes and some new... View Video>

Kronos and Zonar Deliver Affordable Vehicle Inspection Reporting and Time Attendance Functionality to Fleet Operators

Press Release, August 2008

In response to demand from its fleet operator customers such as K-12 pupil transportation, commercial and private trucking, and refuse and concrete truck operators, Kronos(R) Incorporated has formed a relationship with Zonar Systems a... More>

Why isn't the Bus at Your Stop Yet? Let Elyria Schools Check that GPS Real Quick...

The Chronicle-Telegram, August 2008

When the Elyria Schools' buses rolled Monday morning transporting students to class for the first day of school - neither the students nor the buses were out of... More>

CCS Uses Technology to Track, Reduce School Bus Energy Use

Columbus Local News, August 2008

The routes have been plotted and Columbus City Schools' more than 700 bus drivers have been assigned... More>

Back to School

The Denver Channel, August 2008

Colorado Transportation Department utilizes Zonar GPS System and staggered bell times to save an estimated $400,000 in fuel consumption... View Video>

MAXIMUS Announces Integration Between FleetFocus™ and Zonar Systems

Press Release, July 2008

Reston, VA - July 22, 2008 - MAXIMUS, the leading provider of fleet enterprise asset management software and automated fuel systems, today announced a collaboration with Zonar Systems to offer an integrated inspection and maintenance package. The Integration will enable fleet operators to maintain accurate and electronically verified... More>

Valley Metro Mesa Facility Utilizes Hi-Tech Equipment to Inspect Buses

Mass Transit, July 8, 2008

Valley Metro is the first major transit system in the U.S. to utilize high-tech equipment to manage bus inspections. Routine maintenance issues at Valley Metro's Mesa facility are now being managed more effectively with a radio frequency identification device (RFID) that provides a paperless, high-tech solution to manual bus and vehicle inspections.

Unforgettable

School Transportation News, June 2008

In Foxboro, Mass., a 6-year-old student is left on the bus for seven hours. In Osceola County, Fla., a 3-year-old special needs student is found wandering around the bus depot. In Hendersonville, Tenn., a 7-year-old woke up alone when a child alert alarm went off after the bus ran out of gas... More>

Maintenance Matters

Mass Transit, April / May 2008

We're all looking at tighter budgets and ways to better monitor our operations. By effectively managing our resources, we improve our performance. More>

RFID Technology Keeps Track of School Bus Riders

Zonar Press Release, March 2008

Seattle-based Zonar Systems said today it is providing RFID technology to the school bus industry to answer the iconic 1969-television question, "It's 10 p.m. Do you know where your children are?" More>

AtWork! Recognizes Zonar Systems as Supporter of the Year at Annual Fund Raising Breakfast

AtWork! Newsletter, March 2008

AtWork!, a United Way agency dedicated to assisting individuals with disabilities to become active and productive members of the community, declared Zonar Systems, Inc., official supporter of the year. The second annual benefit breakfast was held at the Westin Bellevue and welcomed community and business leaders from around the Puget Sound region. Dennis Bounds from King 5 News hosted the event. More>    View Video>

Airgas Passes Inspection

"Since we began using the Zonar System" Harris states, "we've seen great improvements in compliance by our drivers. The system eliminates paperwork and speeds vehicle repairs by getting information on defects to managers more quickly." More>

NKC School District to Use Electronic Card System to Track Students Riding Buses

The North Kansas City School District this fall will begin using a radio-frequency identification card system to help officials keep track of students who ride district buses.

More>

Board Approves New Bus Pass System

A new system slated for installation this fall will make it easier for North Kansas City Schools to keep track of its bus riders. The ZPass system should significantly increase bus safety, Associate Superintendent of Administrative Services David Stewart said.

More>

Automated & Integrated

One of the newest sources of actionable maintenance data to be automated and integrated into the total asset management system is data from the required pre- and post-trip inspections (CFR 396.11 and 396.13). Zonar Systems (www.zonarsystems.com) offers an RFID-based system that guides drivers through the vehicle inspection process and creates a standardized, digital inspection report called the Electronic Vehicle Inspection Report (EVIR), which can be sent wirelessly and incorporated into a maintenance management system. More>

Debate Ends on E-Rate Eligibility of GPS Data Transfer

"According to Eric Flock (services review program manager in the Schools and Libraries Division) it is not eligible at this time," replied a USAC staffer in an e-mail to School Transportation News, referring to the data transfer fee related to cellular global positioning systems on school buses. More>

California Fires: Yellow School Buses to the Rescue

As the fires increased Purvis moved his fleet of 150 buses to a safe location and joined State and local officials at the Emergency Operations Center where the firefighting and relief efforts were coordinated. Purvis was able to manage his fleet remotely with a cutting-edge, web-based telematics application. More>

Implementing Smart Remote Services

Mr. Geltner and Zonar Systems will present an in-depth case study on how using a wireless data transport system revolutionized the inspection, tracking, and management of fleet operations. More>

Big Benefits for Lighter-Duty Fleets

Heavy-duty long-haul fleets are now old hands at using technology to wring costs out of their operations and improve efficiency. For many of the thousands of companies operating light- and medium-duty vehicles, however, the implementation of technology-based fleet management solutions has been much slower. More>

Safety Fuels These Buses

Oceanside Unified, which operates a school transportation department with a budget of $6 million annually, recently added a new computerized system called Zonar that makes pre-trip vehicle checks more automated. More>

Crane Safety is Taken to New Heights

A Mercer Island construction company shows off their new Zonar inspection system.

View Video>

Town Center Crane Boasts Newest Safety Device

The latest crane erected in the Town Center will be the first with a device that electronically verifies inspections taking place. This will ensure safety and provide accountability to those responsible if an accident occurs, according to the crane's chief operator. More>

Zonar Drives Advanced Fleet Telematics with Google Maps for Enterprise

Google, August 2007

With safety at a premium, rising fuel costs, and an aversion to litigation, the transportation industry is searching for ways to minimize risk and maximize fleet efficiency. Since 2001, Seattle-based Zonar Systems has been revolutionizing the transportation industry with their Electronic Fleet Management solution which uses inspection and GPS data to track and analyze passenger bus and truck activity nationwide. More>

A High-Tech Solution for Crane Safety?

Daily Journal of Commerce, August 2007

Better tower crane safety can't happen with the wave of a magic wand but it can happen with a wave of a new handheld device that uses RFID tags to insure crane inspections are conducted properly. More>

Board the Bus of the Future: First Student Rolls Out New Technology

Seacoastonline, August 2007

Trainer Kevin Shaughnessy helps drivers learn the new Zonar, a hand-held vehicle checklist device used before each trip. Drivers formerly checked off such items as tire pressure on paper. More>

Handheld Electronic Vehicle Inspection Reports System Aids Maintenance Managers

Heavy Equipment Guide, May 2007

EVIR, short for Electronic Vehicle Inspection Reports, is now being marketed for commercial trucks and construction markets. It incorporates a handheld computer/RFID reader, wireless communication, and Web-based software applications. More>

Advanced Diagnostics: How Telematics Solutions are Poised to Enhance Fleet Management Processes and Capabilities

Utility & Telecom Fleets, April 2007

In March 2003, the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published a memorandum announcing its decision to accept electronic driver vehicle inspection reports. Certified by drivers, mechanics, or fleet managers, the required reports use... More>

Better Pre-Trips with Zonar

Heavy Duty Trucking, March 2007

Zonar Systems' new Electronic Vehicle Inspection Report System uses a handheld tool to help drivers do better pre-trip inspections. Durable, self-adhesive RFID (radio frequency identification) tags are positioned around the vehicle in critical inspection zones. More>

District Tracks Buses with GPS

Orange County Register, February 17, 2007

From her office at Westminster School District's bus yard, Donna Rivard can see that school bus No. 15 is cruising at 38.5 mph. Rivard, the district's transportation supervisor, is tracking the vehicles on her computer screen using... More>

TMC Report: Zonar Modernizes Trip Inspections

Truck News, February 8, 2007

Zonar Systems has modernized the pre- and post-trip inspection process by introducing an RFID system that ensures drivers are properly conducting mandatory vehicle inspections... More>

System Improves Safety on Inland School Buses

The Press Enterprise, February 5, 2007

A school bus got stuck in the sand last week at the rural edge of the Coachella Valley School District, where bus-radio reception is known to die out and some streets have no signs. More>

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