Michigan State Police’s School Bus Inspection Unit is using relatively new technology in a new way to help school districts, contractors, and dealers to manage their fleets within one system.
The school bus inspection unit spent the past year developing the system which would allow them to implement QR technology on every one of the 17,000 buses in the state.
“We were trying to figure out how to specifically identify a bus. There could be 50 number seven buses in the state so the assigned bus number didn’t really do us that much good,” said Sgt. Mike McLaughlin of the MSP School Bus Inspection Unit. “QR codes for public access is unique and helps provide transparency of the inspection process.”
Now, with the use of a simple QR reader on any smartphone, parents can find out what district the bus belongs to and whether the bus meets the safety criteria to pass inspection.
Michigan law requires buses to be inspected annually, with an estimated 12% of buses in the state being found in violation. The inspections focus on parts of the bus such as operational lights, brakes, steering components, and suspension.
“Violation repairs are documented from the login, and a complete inspection history is maintained,” McLaughlin said. “Because of the data search capability of the application, we anticipate the discovery of trends effecting school bus safety.”
