As every year, the month of September is marked by prepared schoolbags, impeccable uniforms, emotional parents, and enthusiastic students. The new school year represents a new beginning. At the same time, for many children in Romania, it also means returning to the routine of traveling to school by school bus. Students living in villages or isolated areas often have to travel long, difficult, and sometimes unsafe routes. Moreover, due to the merging of educational institutions, this scenario will become a reality for an increasing number of students.
In this context, the safety of student transportation becomes a matter of national interest. Do we have safe school buses? The answer comes from legislation, but especially from technology.
Law no. 162/2024 – An important step for student safety
In May 2024, Law no. 162/2024 was promulgated, requiring all school buses in Romania to be equipped, mandatorily, with video monitoring systems and real-time GPS tracking. This regulation comes as a response to years of incidents, uncertainty, and lack of transparency regarding the transportation of students to and from educational institutions.
The law requires local authorities and schools to take concrete measures to ensure that every school bus is monitored and supervised. Not only for the protection of students, but also to increase parents’ confidence in this essential service.
However, no matter how well drafted a law may be, it cannot change things on its own. Real impact appears when rules are correctly implemented and supported by technology. This is where the Romanian company AROBS TrackGPS steps in, having developed FleetCam, an innovative solution that directly addresses real-world needs.
How does FleetCam contribute to school bus safety?
FleetCam is a video telematics solution that combines video information with telematics data and GPS localization. It is designed to provide complete control over vehicle fleets — including those dedicated to student transportation. This technology allows real-time tracking of the route traveled by each school bus. But it can do even more: it provides live video streaming, continuous recording, and access to automatic alerts in case of incidents.
FleetCam goes beyond the functionality of traditional systems, offering much more than simple video surveillance. It detects risky driver behaviors such as sudden braking, aggressive acceleration, or deviations from the established route. Moreover, it provides detailed reports to fleet administrators, school principals, or local authorities.
In this way, FleetCam does not just record — it prevents, warns, and actively contributes to student safety.
“George Barițiu” Secondary School in Jucu de Sus – A model to follow
A concrete and positive example comes from Cluj County, from the “George Barițiu” Secondary School in Jucu de Sus. Within this institution, the FleetCam solution was successfully implemented for school buses. Today, students in the area benefit from safer, more efficient, and more transparent transportation.
For this institution, protecting students has become more than just a legal obligation: it is a moral duty. With the help of the FleetCam solution, there is now complete control over school bus transportation. Since prevention is the safest measure, real-time access for teachers and school management to route data, driver behavior, and possible incidents is fundamental. In this way, they can fulfill one of their many missions: safely transporting students.
Drivers become more responsible, children safer, and parents more reassured. At the same time, school management can respond quickly in case of incidents or delays, having all the necessary data available for prompt intervention.
The “George Barițiu” Secondary School in Jucu de Sus is not an isolated case, but one of the most relevant — a best-practice model that can be replicated in hundreds of other localities.
The importance of school buses
In many cases, school buses are the only connection between students and education. Without them, tens of thousands of students would be forced to abandon school or walk for kilometers, exposing themselves to danger.
Therefore, safety in school buses is not optional. It is a direct investment in access to education, equal opportunities, and the protection of vulnerable individuals.
FleetCam – from schools to the entire passenger transport industry
Although the FleetCam solution proves its immediate usefulness in monitoring and improving school bus safety, its benefits are not limited to this segment alone. It also provides added value in international passenger transport, where security and control requirements are high. Furthermore, it is fully compatible with domestic transport operations, where it can contribute to increased efficiency and passenger safety.
In recent years, the number of people traveling across Europe for personal or professional purposes has increased significantly, and passenger transport companies have expanded exponentially. Coach fleets transporting Romanian passengers to Germany, Italy, or the Netherlands face the same challenges regarding safety, efficiency, and traceability.
FleetCam can easily be integrated into these vehicles as well, offering both companies and passengers a higher level of safety. Driver behavior monitoring, GPS route tracking, and alerts in case of issues — all contribute to safer and more predictable transport, both domestically and internationally.
Future perspectives
The school year begins, and the essential question remains: Do we have safe school buses? In more and more counties across Romania, the answer is “yes” — thanks to a combination of legislative will, openness to technology, and successful examples such as the one in Jucu de Sus.
Nevertheless, there is always room for improvement. Law 162/2024 is only the beginning. Its real, coherent implementation, supported by tested technological solutions such as FleetCam, is the key to building a school transportation system that inspires confidence.
Ultimately, children’s safety is fundamental. FleetCam’s contribution in every properly equipped school bus, every monitored route, and every student arriving safely at school is essential for maintaining a prevention-focused environment. Contact us for a personalized offer!
