San Diego School Buses Go Electronic for Security and Safety Inspections

San Diego school officials are automating pre- and post-trip vehicle inspections with a new electronic system that collects all the security and safety inspections in a digital, uploadable format.

The schools' bussing officials announced on Tuesday that they had gone to a system from Zonar Systems that requires the driver to use a handheld device to check in at each position -- such as tire pressure, for example.

"We are rapidly phasing in electronic vehicle inspection systems because we view it as the best way to ensure that no bus rolls until it is checked thoroughly from front to back, and that we have a verifiable record of the inspection," said Alexandra Robinson, who serves as the transportation services department director for the San Diego Unified School Distric. "As the mother of a school-age child myself, in the post 9/11 world, it's all about the accountability that parents now expect."

Robinson said that only a portion of the school district's buses have gone to electronic vehicle inspection systems, but that the project is expanding throughout the fleet.