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Samsara Launches AI Ridership Tool as Kansas District Earns Recognition
A new Ridership Management solution debuts for school transportation. Meanwhile, the company honored Garden City Public Schools for safety and operational improvements using its tech.

Real-time data and AI-driven insights are set to improve safety and operational efficiency, and build resilient infrastructure for long-term community success.
Samsara/School Bus Fleet
Today, Samsara Inc. announced three new purpose-built AI solutions to help government organizations deliver critical services to constituents, as well as winners of its Connected Operations Awards.
These public sector organizations can now leverage real-time data and AI to improve public safety, drive operational efficiencies, and build resilient infrastructure for long-term community success. The suite introduces solutions designed to address the most pressing challenges facing government agencies today.
The one relevant to school district transportation operations is its new ridership management tool.
Samsara's Ridership Management: A real-time picture of every rider from onboarding to drop-off
School districts have long relied on paper rosters, driver memory, and manual processes, creating dangerous gaps in rider safety and serious liability exposure. Ridership Management replaces those processes with a real-time digital manifest that tracks every rider from onboarding to drop-off. Transportation and safety directors can now:
- Increase rider accountability: Automatically flag unexpected boarding events, wrong-stop departures, and critical care requirements, such as parent presence or special needs.
- Improve rider safety: Integrated safety check workflows and photo-verified end-of-route checks close the gaps that put vulnerable passengers at risk, while tools like restricted screen interaction keep driver attention where it belongs.
- Modernize operations and reporting: Ridership data eliminates guesswork from fleet and route decisions, automated reporting frees administrative staff, and defensible compliance records ensure agencies are protected when it matters most.
The company also released tools for road condition monitoring and waste intelligence for public works teams.
"Public sector leaders today face an unprecedented convergence of challenges: aging infrastructure, constrained budgets, and growing public demand for transparency and accountability in how government services are delivered," said Ben Calderon, CTO, Hardware & Operations at Samsara. "They deserve technology that's actually built for those challenges. Samsara's Public Sector AI Suite helps government and community leaders do more with their budgets, with quick and visible returns."
Samsara is highlighting the solutions at its Go Beyond event in Chicago, where the company will showcase its partnership with the City of Chicago and recognize Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Garden City Public Schools with Samsara Connected Operations Awards.

Garden City Public Schools transportation team, pictured here, is set to receive a Samsara Connected Operations Award this year.
Samsara
Garden City Public Schools: Demonstrating technology gains to improve service delivery for students and their communities
Garden City Public Schools in Kansas has won the Samsara Connected Operations Awards in the Excellence in Performance—Government and Education categories.
Garden City Public Schools operates one of the largest student transportation fleets in the state, transporting nearly 2,000 students daily across more than 35 routes and 900 square miles.
The district has deployed many Samsara products, including AI dashcams, AI Multicam, vehicle telematics, connected maintenance, and weather intelligence. Meaningful improvements in safety and operational efficiency followed: risky driving behaviors dropped, and real-time insight replaced slow, manual processes.
They saw:
- 87% reduction in accidents
- Stop-arm violations cut by 80% and risky driving behaviors down more than 40%
- Maintenance costs reduced by 66% and vehicle uptime improved by 20%
“The biggest measurable change since implementing Samsara’s technology is increased visibility. The cameras have saved us in so many situations,” said Shane Burns, transportation director at Garden City Public Schools. “Samsara makes my job much easier, and ultimately we're keeping our students safe.”
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport also won a Connected Operations Award.
"The Connected Operations Awards are a chance to recognize what happens when technology meets purpose,” said Sean McGee, VP of product and engineering at Samsara. “DFW Airport and Garden City Public Schools are proof that AI-powered connected operations don't just improve efficiency, they make communities safer and strengthen the institutions people rely on. Their work is a powerful reminder of why this mission matters, and it will inspire organizations across every industry."
Samsara will honor the two winners at Go Beyond in Chicago.
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