New tech lets Fulton school buses turn traffic lights green

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A new program is allowing school buses in Fulton County to see a lot of green.

New technology gives them green lights on the road, which advocates say boosts their efficiency, gets students to school more safely and on time and reduces fuel consumption.

“What it allows the school bus to do is tell the traffic intersection ‘I’m bringing the kids, this is where I am, and this is how fast I’m going,’” said Bryan Mulligan, director of the Infrastructure Automotive Technology Laboratory, which developed the devices.

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Channel 2′s Bryan Mims has learned that two buses and 62 intersections in Alpharetta are using the devices, which use cellular technology to communicate with the traffic signals.

It costs about $5,000 to outfit each bus and intersection, but advocates say it saves in time spent on the road, fuel costs and emissions.

“With fuel consumption, as well as emissions, we saw a reduction of 14.4%,” said Michael Ruelle of Kimley-Horn, a consulting firm involved in the program.

He says travel times have been reduced by more than 13%, and speed has increased by 18%.

“We saw a remarkable reduction in unscheduled stops – a 40.4% reduction in stops,” Ruelle said.

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Trey Stow, Director of Transportation Operations for the Fulton County School System, said higher efficiency and speed can help reduce the demand for drivers.

Like many other school systems, Fulton County is struggling with a shortage of drivers.

“If we’re able to get there quicker, we can actually double back and be able to do a second run for, say, an elementary school,” he said. “And that’s one less driver we need at that elementary level.”

The goal is to expand the program to other cities and more school buses across Fulton County.

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