Seattle Wash. – Sept 29, 2016 – Zonar, the leader in smart fleet management technology, today announced support for the Paul Lee School Bus Safety Law signed into effect on September 28, 2016. As a partner to many school districts in California, Zonar applauds the state’s leadership and resolve to further improve school bus child safety. Zonar’s Electronic Verified Inspection Reporting (EVIR®), the only verified, visual electronic inspection system available for school bus fleets, is compliant with the “Paul Lee School Bus Safety Law” when configured for child check.
“We have a long history and commitment to keeping student bus riders safe,” said H. Kevin Mest, senior vice president of passenger services at Zonar Systems. “School districts across the country already use our child check configuration with EVIR to help ensure buses are checked for any remaining student onboard after each bus run. We are ready to help other districts become compliant with the Paul Lee School Bus Safety law.”
To help offset the costs of compliance with the new law, the Don Carnahan Memorial Grant opportunity of up to $50,000 in Zonar hardware technology is available. This joint grant from Zonar and the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) supports and promotes the improved safety, effectiveness and efficiency of student transportation programs, and can be used to purchase EVIR and other Zonar fleet management hardware.
About The Paul Lee School Bus Safety Law
The Paul Lee School Bus Safety Law was established in recognition of a Whittier student who passed away after being left unattended on a school bus for several hours. Under the new law, schools are required to equip all buses with a child safety alert system to ensure all students have exited the bus upon ride completion. Drivers must manually contact or scan the device at the interior back of the bus to confirm the completed visual inspection before finishing their shift. School bus drivers will also be required to complete annual inspection training to receive their renewed safety certificates.
The Path to Compliance
California schools must confirm that the child safety alert system and inspection procedures are in place on or before the start of their 2018-2019 school year. There are three main steps to put schools on the path to compliance, including:
- Understanding the new law and how it will affect your school bus fleets
- Working with subject matter experts to stay on the compliance path
- Prepare your team and organization with the right technology and infrastructure for success
Having the right technology and infrastructure starts with the Zonar EVIR® system. The “Tag Once, Inspect Regularly, Know Always” approach requires bus drivers performing the inspection to manually scan tags placed at the interior back of the bus and at other strategic inspection points around the vehicle. The inspection data is automatically transmitted to school administration and transportation officials, providing an electronic log to verify accurate and consistent inspections across the school bus fleet.
For more information on the Paul Lee School Bus Safety Law visit:
www.zonarsystems.com/articles/paul-lee-school-bus-safety-law/
About Zonar
Founded in 2001, Zonar has pioneered smart fleet management technology by providing innovative technology that has changed fleet operations in the student transportation, transit, vocational and commercial trucking verticals. With a unique focus on this field, the Company offers a complete suite of solutions and specialized platforms for our customers in multiple markets. Our patented, award-winning technology keeps fleet owners and managers connected to their fleets and drivers to dispatchers. Headquartered in Seattle, Zonar also has a Technology Development Center in downtown Seattle, a regional office in Cincinnati, and a distribution center outside of Atlanta. For more information about Zonar Systems, go to www.zonarsystems.com