New technology on display at NAPT trade show

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — The National Association for Pupil Transportation's annual trade show opened Tuesday with more than 120 exhibitors.

School bus industry suppliers put new products on display, including the latest in safety, security and equipment technology.

Binghamton, N.Y.-based Doron Precision Systems Inc. allowed attendees to test its interactive school bus driving simulator, the 460SchoolBus. The simulator replicates the driving compartment of a typical late-model school bus. Trainees navigate through various driving scenarios in virtual driving environments, including urban, suburban, rural, industrial and interstate areas, where they encounter obstacles, traffic, pedestrians and inclement weather.

Freedman Seating Co., located in Chicago, displayed its new ICS (Integrated Child Seat) for the school bus market. The seat is designed for children from 20 to 60 pounds, as well as adult passengers, and is equipped with adjustable shoulder straps. Freedman's seating options for school buses are FMVSS 222 compliant, and the ICS will be available to customers in December.

Hailing from Abbotsford, British Columbia, Gatekeeper Systems Inc. had its new Nitro digital video system on display. The system allows operators to download and e-mail video quickly and easily, using the removable COMRAD USB thumb drive. Although compact and lightweight, the Nitro can record up to 185 hours of video with extended hybrid DVR available in 120- and 160-gigabyte drives.

At M2K's booth, several rows of seating were set up on a platform with a driver's seat at the front to demonstrate the company's new seat belt monitoring system, which allows the school bus driver to see on a dash-mounted display which students have their belts buckled. In the event of an emergency, the driver can use a one-touch button to release all the seat belts at once. M2K is based in Sterling Heights, Mich.

Jamaica, N.Y.-based Rosco Vision Systems is breaking into the digital video segment with its new Dual-Vision recorder, on view at the trade show. The palm-sized unit is secured to the bus' windshield and records audio and video continuously. The system captures images from both the interior and exterior of the vehicle and is available with optional integrated GPS tracking.

The trade show will be open through mid-day Wednesday.