As the 2019-’20 school year gets underway this week and next, depending on the district, many of the students will be utilizing bus transportation. Steve Roekle, owner of Manitowoc based Brandt Buses, says there’s some “wonderful new technology for school buses.” Roekle explains they currently have two new buses with the Bendix system that offers sensors to detect traffic patterns. “If you are going outside the lines, an alert will go off and the wheel will shake. In addition, if a car stops short in front of you, it will automatically stop the bus.”
Roekle cited several videos of the technology in action, where a driver was going 50 MPH, kept his foot on the accelerator, and the bus came to a halt behind a vehicle that had stopped abruptly. Roekle adds, when you consider the bus is a 26,000-pound vehicle, ”it’s more difficult to stop abruptly.”
He also told us that the technology is to make the road safer for the other drivers. “It’s the other drivers, the distracted drivers. The driver who is on his cell phone, who’s is texting or calling, putting on make-up. All that type of activity going on, and they’re not paying attention to the road.”
The owner of Brandt Buses Inc. said it’s already the safest transportation in the world. He acknowledges a severe shortage of bus drivers in general (Wisconsin Experiences Bus Driver Shortage) but stated only a current bus driver can explain the satisfaction derived from the interaction and connection to the students on a daily basis.
