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Powhatan County bus driver demonstrates tablet that logs pre-trip inspections and lets parents track students
Summary
A Powhatan County Public Schools bus driver demonstrated a Tyler Drive tablet that centralizes route data, requires signed pre-trip inspections before a driver can begin a route, and shares load/unload status with parents via Ride K-12; about a third of substitute drivers currently use it.
Melinda Hitt, a bus driver for Powhatan County Public Schools, demonstrated how a Tyler Drive tablet organizes runs, enforces pre-trip inspections and provides real-time student boarding information for parents.
Hitt said the tablet lists required pre-trip items and prevents drivers from starting a route until they complete and sign the checklist: "You cannot drive your route until this important part is done." She described the pre-trip as "the biggest safety feature for the bus drivers." The device also logs PM pre-trip, post-trip and monthly fire-extinguisher checks so transportation staff can verify compliance.
The tablet consolidates route materials and navigation that used to be printed. "When I first started being a substitute bus driver, I had to have papers with the turn-by-turn route," Hitt said, noting printed sheets diverted her attention from driving. The tablet offers spoken, turn-by-turn directions so drivers can "keep my eyes on the road," she added, and it lets drivers mark students as "load" or "unload." Parents can view boarding and arrival times through Ride K-12.
Hitt said roughly one-third of substitute drivers already use the tablets, which she said helps cover last-minute route assignments because staff can pull up any route by number. She also noted local roadway hazards — "This neighborhood's full of deer" — as a reason drivers benefit from hands-free navigation.
Hitt said drivers are "looking forward to having more of these tablets for our full-time drivers," and that when a student is added to a route the change updates in real time so "they don't have to print out a new route sheet." The transcript records the demonstration and statements but does not record any formal action or decision to expand the tablets districtwide.
