CUSTOMER
Mercedes Independent School District
CHALLENGE
School administrators and the transportation department faced a critical lack of real-time bus tracking, compromising the safety and efficiency of student transport. This gap in logistics significantly hindered their ability to provide exact bus locations to first responders in emergency situations, putting student safety at risk.
SOLUTION
Premier Wireless’ suite of ConnectED Bus solutions, including Crosswalk K-12 and cellular-based 2-way radios, provided Mercedes ISD with real-time GPS, student ridership information, and a robust communication system.
RESULTS
Premier’s ConnectED Bus solution significantly enhanced the district’s ability to quickly locate a bus and improved overall communication for Mercedes ISD. This enables the district to respond efficiently to daily needs and effectively in emergencies, maintaining constant and reliable communication with all buses. Additionally, integrating digital maintenance checklists and streamlined reporting processes has further improved operational efficiency and readiness.
Revolutionizing Mercedes ISD’s Transportation with Premier’s ConnectED Bus Solution
ConnectED Bus Suite · Mercedes Independent School DistrictDuring long commutes to and from school or sporting events or while on field trips, Mercedes School District could not pinpoint the exact location of their buses. This became an issue after a major accident involving one of their buses; no one could provide the precise location to police or emergency personnel. The delayed response increased the safety risk for the students and created extreme worry among school staff and teachers. The Rio Grande Valley of Texas district needed a way to keep track of their buses and improve communication.
Finding the Right Solution
Mercedes School District partnered with Premier Wireless to implement the ConnectED Bus suite, focusing initially on Connectivity and Communication. This suite features a range of advanced technologies designed to enhance student and driver safety and improve communication across drivers, the transportation department, and school administrators.
Mercedes’ Transportation Director, Adan Vallejo, highlighted the transformative role of GPS technology on their buses, describing it as a “game changer” for tracking and locating buses during emergencies. This technology enables dispatchers to monitor all buses in real time and efficiently dispatch the nearest bus to any required location.
Additionally, the update to the district’s communication systems addressed the limitations of their outdated radios. The new ConnectED Bus Communication solution includes cellular-based 2-way radios, which not only extend the range of communication but also improve sound quality and provide versatile communication options, such as one-to-one and one-to-many communications.
"It’s become incredibly easy for us with the routing system because now my Routes Technician just monitors the buses on the screen and as the calls are coming, he can locate and route them in a split second to different parts of the city. I also look forward to consolidating some of our routes based on the data we are collecting. Data gathered will also be used to improve our state report and will improve our overall routing."
Looking to the Future
Mercedes School District intends to leverage GPS data from daily bus routes to optimize and streamline inefficient routes, thereby reducing operational costs. Additionally, the district is rolling out the student ridership feature of Crosswalk K-12, enabling school staff and parents to monitor when students get on and off the bus, ensuring all students are accounted for, especially if they miss their bus or try to get off at the wrong stop.
"I think we’re one step ahead of the game by having the ConnectED Bus solution for our district. We have the system in place because student safety is our priority. I think there’s a need for it across the nation."
ConnectED Bus Suite
The ConnectED Bus suite is a comprehensive school transportation solution.
- ConnectED Bus Connectivity is the bus wi-fi component providing extended learning time for your students while they travel to and from school sporting events, and other school-related events.
- ConnectED Bus Crosswalk K-12 provides GPS, student tracking, route optimization, turn-by-turn directions, and more to improve operational efficiencies and solve the important problems faced by school district transportation leaders.
- ConnectED Bus Communication features cellular-based two-way radios to deliver secure and effective communication tools across all departments.
