These new improvements are meant to make this form of transportation safer and easier to inspect. The Forest Hills Transportation Center (Grand Rapids, MI) has announced that it is adding two new technology components to its school buses in the form of QR codes and side view cameras, to help to boost safety for the children, the bus drivers, and other road users. These quick response codes will help to keep people informed as to the condition of the school bus.

These new features are going to be added to the vehicles taking children to school across Michigan.

The goal is to give parents —or anyone else who is interested— the ability to scan QR codes in order to find the current inspection condition of a given school bus.

The side view cameras, on the other hand, are being used to help to deter drivers from speeding by these vehicles, particularly when they are stopped in order to drop off or pick up children.

The new QR codes and video cameras are slated to be added to the buses within about a week’s time.

According to Darryl Hofstra, the transportation supervisor for Forest Hills Public Schools, the new side view video cameras are going to provide video surveillance of any driver that has passed a bus that is stopped.

That footage will be supplied to the Kent County Sheriff’s Department in order to allow the police to follow up on these dangerous driving activities.