August 7, 2018, Saratoga Springs, NY — Leonard Bus Sales was proud to showcase their new IC CE Series Technology Demo with standard electronic stability control (ESC) and collision mitigation (CM) technology at this year’s NYAPT conference held at the Marriott in Colonie, NY. IC Bus’s announcement that their diesel school buses will now come standard with these safety features means school transportation fleets will be even safer. These features will be available on IC propane and gasoline buses in the spring of 2019.
The CE Series displayed at NYAPT by Leonard Bus Sales is a designated technology demonstrator school bus, designed to test and educate school transportation professionals about the latest school bus safety and efficiency technologies. Leonard Bus Sales also had their in-house Product Specialist, Kodie Shamrock, on-hand to answer any questions and discuss new and emerging technologies.
“IC Bus is moving the industry forward and has taken school bus safety to the next level by making electronic stability control and collision mitigation technology standard,” said Jon Leonard, Vice President of Leonard Bus Sales. “Now it is our job to educate our school transportation partners and make it easy for them to determine which additional safety equipment and technology best suits their needs.”
The Bendix Wingman is a robust combination of school bus safety systems with a single user interface that includes electronic stability control, adaptive cruise control, over-speed alert and action, lane departure warnings, impact alerts, active and passive collision mitigation. Additionally, the Wingman FusionTMsystem is an option on CE Series buses, offering the only collision mitigation technology with active as well as passive safety features.
Also demonstrated on the new Technology Demo was the Rosco Safe-T-Scope camera and monitor system. IC Bus brand school buses can now be ordered with three different Rosco Safe-T-Scope camera and monitor systems — each providing varying levels of enhanced safety and visual awareness for drivers while the bus is stopped.
Rosco’s Safe-T-Scope systems provide greater visual awareness to help increase student safety by providing up to 360° of visual coverage. The system of mirrors and cameras capture important images and increase driver awareness around the bus. The elimination of blind zones reduces the risk of student dragging or impact and helps the driver provide even safer transportation.
The advanced technologies used in these systems support the driver with added information and intelligence. Drivers can sense situations quickly and completely and make informed decisions, including intervening to avoid a loss of control or a crash. The new systems also provide safety features that school bus drivers may have in their own cars, which may have a positive impact in recruiting and retaining drivers.
“With so many new and innovative school bus safety technologies coming to market these days, it can be difficult for school transportation professionals to review and vet every safety system before determining the best solution for their school bus fleet”, said Leonard Bus Sales General Manager, Frank Continetti. “It’s our job to make sure it is easy for our partners to assess their safety needs, understand potential options and then help them choose the most cost-effective solutions.”
The constant push forward by state and federal regulators, such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), to make the school bus even safer is helping drive the technology evolution of the modern school bus. NHTSA actively supports rearview cameras, collision mitigation, lane departure warning systems and many other safety systems.
“Choosing safety technology systems for your fleet doesn’t have to be difficult; Leonard Bus Sales recognizes that our school transportation partners’ time and resources are stretched to their limits,” said Leonard. “That’s why we work hard to understand the costs and benefits of the various safety technologies that are on the market today. We test them ourselves so that we can make it easy for our customers to decide which solutions best meet their needs.”
Having a partner and trusted advisor, like Leonard Bus Sales, who is educated on the pros and cons of the latest school bus safety technologies, and how the systems can be integrated, can be helpful. This unique, and customized approach helps guide customers with school bus safety decisions and, as a result, saves them valuable time and resources, and ensures their fleet is meeting the highest safety standards possible.
There is no substitute for a well trained and experienced school bus driver. However, in a world where accidents related to distracted drivers are on the rise, having a school bus equipped with the latest safety technology, like the ones offered by Bendix and Rosco, can help reduce the probability of getting into an accident and reducing the likelihood a child is hurt by a moving bus.