Nasty School Buses: Study Proves Commutes are Shorter on School Holidays
There are some among us who are habitually punctual and keep to a schedule with military-like precision. Put one of these perfectionists on the road and frustration ensues. A pokey driver, road construction or rush hour can throw a monkey wrench in a perfectly-planned day.
For even the most easy-going of drivers, school buses are a source of irritation on the roadways. God bless them, we wouldn’t want to hurt a hair on the heads of those sweet passengers. But boy, do those bus drivers add precious minutes to our commutes to work.
Now, a study in Great Britain proves what working folk have been suspecting for years: average travel times are longer when schools are in session.
A United Kingdom vehicle tracking system supplier conducted a simple experiment, surveying 3,000 motorists and outfitting their cars with GPS tracking systems. Every time a vehicle was in motion, its tracking system monitored its progress by capturing and recording GPS tracking data from satellites. Time, speed, direction, duration of stops and addresses were recorded in fine detail.
Identical routes to work were pursued and recorded, morning and evening, during school days and days of non-attendance. When the GPS tracking reports were compared, most drivers were proven to have shorter commutes on non-school days.
The head researcher of the GPS tracking study summed up the obvious: Schools start at roughly the same time as business offices. The roads are less congested on school holidays because parents aren’t driving kids to school, school buses aren’t navigating the roadways, and teachers aren’t going to work.
What did surprise the surveyors in the GPS tracking study was just how much difference there was in school/non-school travel times. Commutes were reduced by 25 to 50 percent. Morning commutes were the most adversely affected by school attendance.
Fifteen minutes spent stuck in traffic here and there seems a minor irritation, until the motorist “does the math,” as many supervisors in fleet management have done in recent years. Over the course of a year, unnecessary idling and wasted fuel come at a great cost. Thousands of cars and trucks stuck in gridlock every day have a damaging effect on the environment.
The commuter study concluded that everyday drivers should plan alternative routes and departure times on days that school is in session. The best way to do this is with a GPS tracking system in every vehicle.
When utilized for fleet management, GPS tracking systems are invaluable. The same can be said for personal vehicle use. Businesses use vehicle tracking to make their operations more efficient. The tracking system will record time down to one-second increments, vehicle speed, direction, route taken and the exact mileage of that route. A driver can experiment with different routes at different times of day, then compare them in the historical tracking archive to determine optimal travel time and path.
School days? Plan A. School holidays? Plan B. Commuting requires flexibility and GPS tracking systems provide the solution.
Source: Materials Handling World Magazine
Tags: Business, Commutes, Fleet Management, GPS Tracking, Great Britain, Holidays, Nasty, offices, School Buses
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