Back To School Using Gps For Overnight Campus Safety

Safety is always a big concern on a college campus, especially late at night. George Washington University – located four blocks from the White House smack in the middle of urban DC – launched a new program, last year, enabling students, faculty and staff to request escort van pickups from a smartphone or computer, track the location of their assigned van on their mobile device, and receive a text or email with the expected arrival time to minimize time spent waiting outside.

The new automated reservation system for GW's 4-RIDE escort service works with the help of GPS tracking technology, which pinpoints van location and seat availability in real time on a computer map to expedite ride assignments as well as enabling communication with drivers to inform riders when the van is en route. The service operates nightly from 6:30pm until 5:30am, escorting as many as 400 passengers each night from destinations including the campus' 24-hour library.

This is a great example of how fleet tracking technology can do more than just track your fleet.