Your Fleet Schools

Student ID technology for the identification of pupils on school buses is a hot topic for school districts around the country.   There are multiple options for student ID tracking, each with varying costs, pupil/user involvement, speed of execution, and several other variables.  Choosing an ID technology mainly depends on budget and the type of student being monitored.  There will always be some limitations with the technology that are exposed by tracking students on school buses.  The goal is to automate the recording of data as students ingress and egress the bus.  Ideally this should be done with minimal interaction from the student.  Unfortunately, none of the technologies available today is capable of guaranteeing 100% successful reads as the student goes on or off the bus.  However the vast majority of the time a student ID system will provide invaluable information for administrators and parents in the event it is needed.

RF ID Technology

RF ID technology is the best solution for general education students who load/exit in relatively large quantities quickly and need the least amount of interaction.  Depending on the type of RF ID reader the individual student tags or cards can be read upon near contact or a contact-less range of up to about 12-18 inches.

Other Student ID Technologies:

Magnetic Stripe Cards
Magnetic stripe cards use the same technology found on credit cards and other card swipe type  technologies including many existing student ID cards.  Each student will be required to physically swipe their card through a reader in order to be read.  The greatest benefits of using this technology is that it is very inexpensive and the system can use most existing student ID cards that have magnetic stripes on them.

Bar Code Readers
Bar code reader systems are ideal for special needs transportation where speed is not critical and the students may have handlers.  This relatively inexpensive technology allows the driver to swipe a name from a list or manifest and doesn’t require the student to have any specific card or tag. 

Biometric Readers
Biometric reader technologies such as finger print readers are not a viable option for pupil tracking at this point in time.  This technology presents too many logistical, administrative, and legal issues relative to any benefit it may provide over other ID technologies.  Perhaps someday in the future biometrics will make sense for pupil tracking, however at present we feel it is ill-advised.