City Desk : dhakamirror.com
Students will now have to tap their smart cards to board a smart school bus. This will notify parents of their whereabouts and boarding time instantly. Likewise, a second message will be sent to parents alerting them to the location and time of their child’s drop-off as soon as the students descend.
Additionally, the guardians can use the GPS tracker to locate the bus and the IP cameras installed in the bus to watch their kids’ movements.
Equipped with these smart technologies, 10 smart school buses started their journey on the streets of the port city of Chattogram on Monday.
Divisional Commissioner of Chattogram Mohammad Tofael Islam along with Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Abul Basar Mohammad Fakhruzzaman and noted poet and journalist Abul Momen formally inaugurated the bus service at MA Aziz Stadium premises.
“Parents will now be free of worries and anxieties. Meanwhile, traffic congestion will also lessen,” said Chattogram Divisional Commissioner Tofail Islam, before formally starting the first trip with his smartcard.
The first bus made its first trip on Tuesday with 70 students from 12 educational institutions from the gymnasium ground of MA Aziz Stadium in the port city, said Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Fakhruzzaman.
“Ten more buses are in plans for the students of Patenga-Halishahar areas,” he added.
The buses have been made “smart” by installing GPS trackers, GIS technology, digital attendance-keeping services and IP cameras. Ten such buses will run in full swing from January 10 next year, he said
Educationist Abul Momen urged residents and authorities to maintain the buses properly so that they can be operational for a longer period.
Rashed Mostafa, dean of engineering faculty at Chittagong University; Almas Shimul, additional managing director of GPH Ispat; and additional deputy commissioners Md Abul Kalam Azad (revenue), Abdul Malek (education), and Sadiur Rahim (ICT) were also present at the inaugural event.
