DPS Transportation Department Makes 21st Century Improvements

Wednesday, May 4, 2005

Keeping up with the over 400 buses on the roads that take DPS students to and from school, is going to be a lot easier once the new SMRT (Strategically Managing Resources through Technology) monitoring system has been installed in each one. 

It utilizes the fairly familiar Global Positioning System to track location and diagnose the performance of the buses and other DPS service-support vehicles. This technology was developed by the District’s Office of Student Transportation in conjunction with Eastern Michigan University’s Institute for Geo Spatial research and Education. The goal was that of improving this vital student service which has such a great effect on student achievement. The transportation department has also distinguished itself by becoming the first in the country to utilize the single rear tire (one tire on each side of the rear axle instead of two) configuration on large, Type C school buses. According to Dale Goby, executive director of student transportation, “this change has been used extensively in Europe and now they’re becoming more commonly used in the States.” Two DPS buses have been fitted with the new setup using the Michelin X One, a super wide tire. They will be closely monitored for a year to determine the level of performance. The single tire costs approximately the same as the double tire set up but the two mile per gallon gas mileage improvement with the single tire becomes especially significant as gasoline prices continue to rise.