Every day, thousands of parents across the UAE place their trust in school buses to safely transport their children. The school bus services are a necessity for these families but are also integral to the country’s education system.
To know how the fleets of yellow school buses and their drivers are monitored, Khaleej Times visited the Operations Control Centre (OCC) of a leading school transport provider where state-of the-art technology is being leveraged to ensure safe and smooth bus commutes for students.
Upon entering the facility, one could see multiple giant screens mounted on walls and a large number of staff members monitoring the footage and handling calls.
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It was revealed that the OCC functions almost round-the-clock as the central operational hub, utilising smart technology to manage the fleet, and managing prompt communication with schools and parents.
Steve Burnell, managing director of School Transport Services (STS) group, said, “We have not outsourced any of our services. Everything is done by us. We procure all our smart bus technology and install and maintain it ourselves. We have very robust governance and we make sure that we buy the right systems that can integrate with our IT systems and can protect data.”
Buses, it was explained, are outfitted with internal and external video surveillance systems to monitor passenger behaviour. The aim is to allow immediate reporting and investigation of any incidents.
Cameras identify risky behaviour
“We operate a 24-hour Operations Control Centre to continuously monitor and report on the movement of our fleet, ensuring real-time surveillance and rapid response to any issues. Our drivers’ facial recognition cameras are robust. Once they are inside the vehicle, drivers are the most important part in our business.
“These cameras monitor driving habits, identifying risky behaviour such as blink rate and mobile phone use, helping to ensure alertness of drivers. How do we make sure that they are not fatigued? Therefore, there is a good monitoring system around it,” he added.
Why school bus drivers sometimes drive defensively?
Burnell explained there was initially some scepticism among drivers about being monitored, but it soon became clear that the systems often serve to exonerate them in tricky situations.
He said when vehicle tracking, CCTV, and other monitoring systems are in place, any alert that follows results in immediate investigation, enabling quick resolution of any issue.
“Our drivers also need to be more reactive to defensive driving because everyone wants to drive ahead of the bus. So, these systems allow us to take this data, analyse and sometimes work with the authorities. Many times, it is proved that the bus drivers were not at fault and were only driving defensively.”
‘Alert Button’, RFID
“Each bus is equipped with an ‘Alert Button’ on the dashboard for emergencies, which sends an immediate alert to the 24-hour Operations Control Centre, ensuring prompt action in critical situations,” said Burnell.
Additionally, students can be issued RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification technology) cards that track when they board and exit the bus. This data feeds directly to the OCC.
Referring to the extreme weather situation of April, Burnell said, “We also monitor the weather closely and send communications across the schools and advise them accordingly.”
“Ultimately, the OCC serves as the backbone for managing safety alerts, route optimisations, and communication. The advanced technologies create a comprehensive ecosystem that reduces human errors and enhances response times, ensuring a safe transport experience.”