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New device speeds A.J. bus checks
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School bus drivers in Apache Junction no longer circle their buses with clipboards, checklists and pens to perform bus inspections.
Now, they circle buses with the Zonar 2010 handheld device and zap sensors with radio frequencies.
"Bottom line: It’s paperless," said Vicky Drennan-Alvarez, bus driver and trainer for the Apache Junction Unified School District.
For $38,000, Apache Junction will equip most of its fleet with the inspection technology, which eliminates daily paperwork, speeds maintenance and repair and will allow future Global Positioning System installation. GPS, a satellite navigation system, will make it possible to locate buses in the event of a terrorist attack.
Drivers are required to check exterior and interior mechanical points each time they leave the parking lot.
Zonar Systems — a Seattle-based company that designed the technology and distributes it to public transportation agencies — has equipped nine school districts in the Valley.
Individual identification cards activate the device, which directs drivers through different checklists when they target sensors around the bus. When within 300 feet of the transportation office, the information is instantly sent to the maintenance shop for approval and clearance.
"It’s a lot easier to just say what’s wrong with the bus," said bus driver Angelique Ross. "Today, I had an oil leak. I reported it this morning, and two hours later they had it fixed. Normally, the paperwork channel would have taken a couple of days."
According to Max Ragsdale, district director of transportation, the system will decrease the time it takes to calculate his annual mileage reports from four days to less than an hour, and reduced inspection times should save the district $26,000 annually.
Mike Yonker, the transportation director for Mesa Unified School District, said Mesa also is considering the system.
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