Boston School Bus Drivers' Union Fight GPS Plan

The Boston School Bus Drivers' Union is fighting a resolution passed by the city council that urges the public school system to install global positioning system (GPS) devices in its entire fleet of school buses as a safety and efficiency strategy.

Referring to the GPS systems as "contentious spy devices," the drivers' union maintains the devices' real purpose will be to track the city's bus drivers and further advance their portrayal as speeders and scofflaws.

Union President Steve Gillis added that the proposal is an attempt to tear apart the private collective bargaining agreement reached in October between the union and the school-bus-management firm First Student Inc.

Gillis believe that if the city council is really concerned about safety, it should use the money to hire human monitors who can stop fights and make sure students get off at the correct stop. Currently, the city has about 100 human monitors who help on buses with special-needs students.

The city also could use the money proposed for the GPS systems to fix the city's aging bus fleet, Gillis said. The city has 720 buses, and between 60 and 70 break down each day, he said.

However, Councilor John M. Tobin Jr., who in September introduced the idea of installing GPS devices in Boston school buses, doesn't know if the human-monitor alternative is the answer.

Tobin said it would cost $200,000 to $300,000 per year to outfit and maintain Boston's school buses with GPS service. The city currently spends $60 million each year on student transportation.

He lauded the plan as a way to track and document the time, speed, and direction of buses to improve customer service and reduce complaints from parents. The devices also would be wired into the buses' on-board computers so they could report mechanical problems directly to headquarters, he said.

The city council held a hearing to explore the accountability, efficiency, and safety benefits of installing GPS systems in the city's school-bus fleet. Tobin said the evening was overshadowed by the union leader's claims of racism and Big Brother.

Boston Public Schools spokesman Jonathan Palumbo said the GPS devices would give district officials a tremendous opportunity to offer better bus service. In fact, a growing number of school districts nationwide are purchasing school buses equipped with GPS devices to increase student safety and help dispatch maintenance crews faster.

Robin Leeds, an industry specialist for the National School Transportation Association (NSTA), said GPS technology is still a fairly new concept on school buses, and there are bound to be some problems or issues that need to be resolved.

The NSTA has received reports of the devices failing when they can't get a signal, similar to cell-phone "dead spots." But, Leeds added, the devices do promise many benefits, including the tracking of maintenance needs, fuel usage, and drivers' speed.