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Bryan ISD approves $261,221 purchase of GPS-enabled bus tablets; outlines 15-year bus replacement plan
Summary
The board approved a $261,221 bond-funded purchase for Wayfinder GPS/tablet routing on buses and heard a director's plan to replace buses on a 15-year lifecycle, citing seat-belt mandates and a fleet of 115 buses with 40 lacking belts.
The Bryan Independent School District board approved a $261,221 purchase to outfit district buses with GPS-enabled tablets and accepted a transportation plan that sets a 15-year replacement lifecycle for school buses.
Director of Transportation Bryant Washington proposed the replacement strategy, explaining buses would begin as trip buses, move into route service around years 6—10, then become substitutes before retiring at a maximum of 15 years. He reported the district currently operates 115 buses (78 for general education, 22 for special needs and 15 trip buses), of which eight are already at or beyond 15 years and about 40 lack seat belts. "In September of 2029 ... any school bus purchased prior to 2018 were not purchased with seat belts. So, we will either have to replace those school buses or add seat belts to them," Washington said.
Transportation staff also introduced Wayfinder (transfinder/Wayfinder), a tablet platform offering turn-by-turn voice navigation, digital route sheets, live routing updates, driver pre/post-trip checklists, and photo-enabled digital rosters so drivers can confirm students at stops. Administration proposed a full purchase using prior bond surplus but a staged operational rollout (pilot by campus level). Trustees pressed administration for lifecycle assurances and the pilot's ongoing operational costs; administration later disclosed annual software/operational costs at approximately $95,520 in year two and $100,296 in year three.
Trustees approved the $261,221 purchase in a motion that specified the item was included in the 2025 bond and would be funded using surplus from the 2020 bond. Board members asked staff to return with details on annual operating costs and vendor support/lifespan warranties.
Separately, Mr. Washington emphasized safety and in-house maintenance: the transportation shop performs 100-point checks, replaces parts when cost-effective and auctions retired vehicles. The board thanked the transportation team for storm response and early-morning road checks that aided operational decisions.
Next steps: administration will provide a detailed multi-year operating-cost schedule and vendor lifecycle information to the board, and the technology will be piloted on a limited set of buses before full deployment.
