KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cummins has expanded its suite of Connected Solutions to enhance support for school bus customers, the engine supplier announced at the National Association for Pupil Transportation trade show on Tuesday.

The data- and analytics-based solutions enable Cummins to monitor engines and deliver accurate, real-time operating information for a quicker and more focused response to potential issues, according to the company.

Connected Solutions is enabled through a telematics device. It is designed to help improve efficiency, minimize downtime, reduce costs, and extend engine life, according to Cummins.

Connected Diagnostics — the foundation of the Connected Solutions product suite — is available on all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2007 and later Cummins engines, including Cummins Westport engines for school buses.

When a fault is triggered, the customer can receive insights about the fault information, probable cause, and recommended actions through email, an online portal, or mobile app notifications. Based on that information, the customer can determine whether to continue operation or proactively pursue service.

"We are very excited by the new technological advances that we can bring to school districts,” said Lori Cobb, Cummins’ vice president of Connected Solutions. “By reducing the time to intervene on fault notifications, equipment availability can be improved and progressive damage can be avoided. Adaptive learning approaches will be incorporated on an ongoing basis to improve school bus reliability and uptime."