GPS tracks children on school buses

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (WPRI) - A Rhode Island company has developed a GPS system to let districts know if kids are safe riding to and from school.

A school district in Georgia is the first to sign up for the program. The GPS is used to track the school buses and a device similar to a credit card is used to track kids who get on and off the buses. The company that makes system says it is all worth the price.

The program called "Rite Track" can pinpoint school buses' exact location and speed to a school command center. The GPS tracking software is developed by Rite Solutions in Middletown, RI.

Each child riding the bus will be given a credit card sized tag that is read by a radio frequency device so the school's system knows who is riding on every vehicle.

"When the computer on the bus sees that tag it then checks its database and it says I recognize that big long number," said Chuck Angell from Rite Solutions.

The Georgia school district is spending about $10 million on the project. Although, the system is not yet being used in Rhode Island, Rite Solutions is talking with districts in Exeter, West Greenwich, Middletown and Newport.