An IoT-Based School Bus and Vehicle Tracking System Using RFID Technology and Mobile Data Networks

The growing concerns of families about the safety and security of their children prompted a major interest in developing robust systems that offer efficient tracking and monitoring of children commuting between homes and schools. With the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, in addition to Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), developing such systems became feasible and cost-effective. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of a comprehensive low-cost system based on IoT that allows schools, parents, and authorities to track the movement of children while in school buses or being transported in private vehicles in real time. The system is based on off-the-shelf passive RFID readers that are installed within buses, next to bus stations, and pick-up points at school entrances. We have implemented the system as an application connected to a MySQL database deployed over the Heroku’s versatile cloud platform. The different stakeholders (parents and school administrators) connect to the system through the Internet using a secure Java GUI. The parents can track their children along the bus route in real time. The system is built to integrate children monitoring within the buses, the tracking of the buses, and the tracking of private vehicles transporting children to/from school. The developed system provides additional security features such as access to safety records of bus/vehicle drivers and infringements. A variety of reports for different activities of buses and vehicles can be generated in real time at the school level. The system was tested successfully over the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals large campus which includes several schools (kindergarten, primary, and secondary).