A handheld tablet will now be used to record all information and track bus inspections for the buses.
FREDERICK, Md. (KR) The Department of Motor Transportation Vehicle Administration has replaced its paper documenting system for reporting school bus inspections with a new electronic one.
A handheld tablet will now be used to record all information and track bus inspections for the buses.
Christine Nizer, MVA Administrator, says all 9,000 Maryland school buses are required to be inspected three times a year.
“We essentially took our paper form and put the same options to record features about all the various aspects of the inspection directly into the tablet,” said Nizer.
She said the new system will more efficiently monitor the safety of school buses for students.
“If there’s an issue with a seat being torn or a windshield wiper, they can mark that directly on the application, they can even add notes, if they want to add notes to themselves about a certain issue. Then, that is maintained in the system, so when the school bus comes back the next time for inspection, if it’s a different inspector or whoever is looking at it can go into the system and pull that information electronically. So, it’s a great step forward from a safety standpoint,” said Nizer.
The MVA says, the new reporting method has also reduced the time it takes to complete inspection reports.