Sprint Certifies New GPS-Based School Bus Tracking Technology

Sprint Certifies New GPS-Based School Bus Tracking Technology

Safety of students aboard the school buses is a major concern for school administrators and parents. In a continued effort to offer differentiated safety and management solutions to schools, Sprint (NYSE: S) announced the availability of iX-3, the next generation of GPS-based school bus tracking technology. The iX-3 system is designed by Everyday Wireless, a Sprint partner, and is certified to operate on the Nextel National Network, one of the largest all-digital wireless networks in the U.S., covering more than 264 million people. This state-of-the-art technology uses the latest Motorola io270 module and allows the iX-3 to deliver packet data and Walkie-Talkie service.

“The development of the iX-3, as with all of our product development efforts, was driven directly by input from the pupil transportation managers,” says Dave Pettine, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Everyday Wireless. “Our partnership with Sprint differentiates our products in the marketplace by providing school districts with additional options that meet their operational, communication and budgetary requirements. Once again, we delivered a solution tailored to the pupil transportation industry.”

The iX-3 system also features optional rider attendance and voice technology. These features help school authorities to know exactly when and where the students get on and off the bus and also have the ability to respond to a parent’s call with accurate, timely information. In addition, alerts can be sent automatically in case a student gets off at the wrong stop. This system was designed with route efficiency in mind and is the only rider attendance solution that does not delay the boarding and disembarking process. In addition, the system offers the ability to automate cumbersome ridership reports that school districts are required to file for state and federal funding.

“The Everyday Wireless system has significantly reduced the number of complaints that we received from schools and parents,” says Bill Bair, director of transportation, Colorado Springs School District. “This technology has eliminated the need to make return phone calls to parents since now we have the ability to address their issues immediately by looking at up-to-date data.”

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