Batelco’s ‘Smart Buses’ To Keep School Children Safe

Every day thousands of children in Bahrain travel on buses to schools and back. But unfortunately, in many cases, school buses in the country have turned into carriers of tragic news. The situation is so grave that Bahrain’s Prime Minister ordered that safety standards in all school buses be enhanced.

Following this serious concern, Batelco, a telecommunications brand in Bahrain, wanted to take on the responsibility to keep children safe in buses.

The telco created ‘The Smart Buses’ – a cutting edge IoT (Internet of Things) connected vehicle solution – making school buses safe environments for children. This smart vehicle solution helps address security challenges like safety, mobility, and monitoring.

Batelco released a video, created by FP7’s Dubai and Bahrain offices, highlighting the features of this bus. Powered by a solar power system, each bus has a 4G connector providing WiFi on the go, connecting the bus to schools and to parents.

Driven by a smart monitoring system that registers number of students, each bus is equipped to count the number of children boarding and alighting from it. The system is also equipped with movement sensors and alarms and notifies the school and parents of missing children or of those children who are left behind.

Additionally, the school and parents can monitor the location of their respective bus via GPS.

According to Batelco Bahrain CEO Muna Al Hashemi, this connected vehicle solution is in ‘big demand from school authorities who are very eager to ensure the safety of their students travelling to school by school buses’.

While the idea has not only set the blueprint for other telecommunication brands to create similar solutions across the Middle East and the world, it also ensures that school buses remain joyful and safe places – and don’t become the last rides for more children.

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