“Schools could win the trust of parents by installing proper vehicle tracking devices in the buses and vans used for commuting students. It would also help regularise the transport system as more parents will opt for a vehicle operated by the schools, than private vans and autorickshaws,” T.K. Rajasekaran, Deputy Commissioner (Traffic) of Coimbatore City Police, said.
He told this to The Hindu after inaugurating a vehicle surveillance system using GPS and GPRS in National Model Schools, Peelamedu, on Wednesday.
School Correspondent P. Mohan said that the system has been installed in all the 46 buses that are owned and operated by them. “More than 1,400 students of the institution use the school’s transport system. The initiative is aimed at time-saving as well as reducing the anxiety of the parents,” he said.
“The system gives parents access to online monitoring of the position of the vehicle carrying their children. Parents will also receive SMS alerts on the status of the vehicle before reaching the pickup point and on reaching school in the morning and starting from school and before reaching the drop point in the evening,” he added.
The school will be able to monitor the routes taken by all the buses and see where it stops.
“Vehicle speed can also be monitored. An SMS is sent to the school when the driver crosses the speed limit. They will also get an alert when the driver is diverting the vehicle from the usual route,” S. Rajaguru of the company that installed the system said.
