What is STAR?
Schools Transport Automatic Register (STAR) is a transport communication system to enhance the safety, increase the productivity and drive out costs for school bus and Special Education Needs (SEN) operations - whether contracted out or not.
STAR is not just a tracking or routing system. It combines the technologies of GPS vehicle tracking with personal RFID smartcards as the basis for an innovative way of delivering home to school transport services to parents, schools, bus companies and local authorities.
Each child has a personalised smartcard referencing their details including a photo which is recognised and validated by the STAR system. The card acts as a reference point to details, including a photograph, held on a server.
The smartcard registers on the bus console when passengers board and exit the vehicle. This information is recorded on a secure online server within seconds.
The bus console now holds a live manifest of passengers.
The STAR bus driver’s console contains a GPS tracking device. The bus and its whereabouts are registered on the STAR website in real time.
The system provides the basis for
• Keeping a live manifest of passengers onboard the bus via the driver console and consequently online and in real time
• Allowing automatic travel validation on board the bus
• Generating reports to be sent to authorized users across organisations
• Allowing parents to check the progress of their child’s journey online
• Allowing the driver to identify individuals via the bus console’s manifest and report incidents immediately from the console
• Two way voice and text communication between the driver and base