Fairfax County aims to install tracking devices in each of its 1,600 school buses, an ambitious venture that could be brought to a halt by upcoming budgetwoes.
The county issued a request for proposals Friday for a company to add global positioning system units to its fleet of buses. That request, however, was made partly to explore possible technology and prices for a project that might not come to fruition any time soon, according to Fairfax County Public Schools Transportation Director Linda Farbry.
Budget constraints in the next few years “almost guarantee” the project will be a long-term one, she said. Each tracking unit is expected to cost about $1,000, Farbry said.
If put in place, she said, the devices would allow county schools to have a better picture of whether buses are on time, whether they ran the correct routes or whether they drove too fast, among other data.
“Looking in the long run, it’s very advantageous to get better and better routing information,” Farbry said.
Fairfax County’s school system is facing a $127 million shortfall for the fiscal year beginning in July 2008, part of a shrinking real estate tax base expected to prevent major program expansions across the county government.
