ANSWER:

Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS)— PGCPS uses Zonar Fleet Management for the global positioning system and Synovia Systems for the parent app. The cost is $36/bus/month (compared to $45/bus/month estimated in the MCPS Department of Transportation (DOT) budget).  The PGCPS cost does not include a tablet computer on the bus. The lack of a tablet computer means that turn-by-turn directions, audio or on screen and the ability to access other routes from the road when dispatch “calls an audible” are not included.  It does not allow the driver to indicate when he/she is using a spare bus or driving all or part of a different route than the driver usually drives, which can lead to incorrect  information being sent through the parent app. The PGCPS system also does not include any student-level information because it does not have hardware or software for students’ check in/out when they get on/off the bus.

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)— FCPS uses Synovia Solutions for both the global positioning system and the parent app. The cost is $39/bus/month (compared to $45/bus/month estimated in the DOT budget) but does not include turn-by-turn directions or students’ check in/out when they get on/off the bus. Therefore, it does not offer student specific information.