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MEDINA, Ohio — Medina City Schools are getting ready to add GPS tablets to all of their school buses.

The new technology will allow the district to monitor each bus, see where it goes, the speed it is being driven and if there has been any harsh braking.

If a bus has a mechanical problem along its route, Transportation Director Rob Travis said the district’s mechanics will be able to diagnose it remotely.

“If we get that call, we can log into that vehicle in Cincinnati and see what the issue is and if it’s okay for the driver to continue or if we need to make a service call, then we know how to plan for what to take and what is going on,” said Travis.

Parents can also download an app that will help them identify where their child’s bus is and when it is expected to arrive.

The equipment does come at a cost. For the five year, the district will pay about $200,000 from its current operating budget.

The district said it is leasing the equipment rather than buying it because of how fast the technology evolves.

“I think when you look at GPS and what it does for us the return on investment is important but it is secondary for us. It’s student safety and anything we can do to enhance student safety,” said Travis.