School Bus Monitors

School bus monitors do very human tasks – helping children board or exit, buckling seatbelts, calming disputes, and managing emergencies ^[1]. Right now there is no robot or AI system that can replace a person doing all of that. Most automation effort goes toward safety tools, not jobs.

For example, some buses have AI-powered dash cameras inside to record student behavior and coach drivers ^[2], and interior cameras can detect bullying or unsafe actions ^[2]. In Dubai, engineers even built a smart device that counts kids getting on/off to prevent a child being left behind ^[3]. These tools help the driver and monitor stay aware, but they don’t take the place of a caring adult.

Researchers note that jobs requiring empathy and real-time judgment (like watching children) tend to have low automation risk ^[4]. In short, today’s AI is mostly an aid – cameras and sensors add information – but the monitor’s personal supervision and safety skills are still needed on the bus.

Bringing AI into school-bus monitoring depends on costs, budgets, and trust. A school bus monitor earns only about \$17/hour on average ^[1], so districts must compare that to the expense of cameras, sensors, and software. Some safety systems can be expensive upfront, although clever programs exist (for example, stop-arm camera fines have funded free safety cameras in some districts ^[2]).

Parents generally support bus tech – one survey found 75% of parents want real-time tracking of their child’s bus ride ^[2] – which encourages districts to improve safety. However, schools also must train staff and address privacy or legal rules for video on buses. In practice, many districts are adding tech gradually (piloting apps and cameras) but still rely on the human monitor.

The jobs remain, because no AI can yet replace the human touch needed to care for children’s needs and react to unexpected events. In this way, monitors can feel hopeful: technology can help them work smarter (for example, by giving more safety data ^{[2] [2]}) but not take over the heart­-to-heart part of their job.