Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Plano ISD pilots RFID student ID on buses, tests electric buses and outlines seatbelt retrofit costs
Summary
District transportation officials described a six‑campus student‑ID RFID pilot to improve bus boarding data, said the fleet includes 16 electric buses in testing and reported an estimated $6.5 million retrofitting/replacement cost to meet Texas' 3‑point school bus seatbelt requirement by 2029.
Steve Ewing and Mark Skinner briefed trustees and council on transportation upgrades: a redesigned shop and training space, a new fuel island and a student ID pilot at six elementary campuses (Brinker, Hickey, Hunt, Jackson, Stinson and Wells) that issues color‑coded RFID badges to improve on/off boarding data and pre‑K/K/1 matching with guardians.
"This is a pilot program where we're launching a student ID platform... The elementary students are so excited to have that opportunity," Mark Skinner said, noting campuses are printing badges on site and tablets on buses provide immediate alerts when a student badges on or if there is a mismatch. The pilot is intended to improve routing accuracy and student safety.
Skinner and Ewing also described electric‑bus operations: the district has 16 electric buses and is testing range and charging strategies, including overnight and mid‑day charging and 'smart' chargers that reduce continuous draw. They discussed mutual aid considerations for emergency crews encountering high‑voltage buses.
On seatbelts, the district summarized the state's study and compliance timeline (full compliance required by 2029). Skinner provided fleet counts: 314 buses total, 216 already with three‑point belts, 19 with lap belts and 79 with no belts; he estimated addressing the remaining buses would cost about $6,500,000 based on vendor quotes and retrofit complexity, though the district expects its normal replacement/retirement schedule to help meet the 2029 deadline.
