Unfortunately, in many instances in Bahrain, school buses - that are supposed to be joyful and safe rides for children - have turned into carriers of tragic news; children have been dying in buses.

Batelco is the leading communications technology and telecom provider in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It serves both the corporate and consumer markets in the most liberalized and competitive environment in the MENA region, through the delivery of cutting-edge fixed and wireless telecommunications solutions.

Batelco creates mobile technology products, services and solutions aligned with its brand purpose of “Upgrading lives for everyone, every day, through technology”.

And with its connected mobile technology solutions, we found an opportunity to keep children safe and prevent any harm in a place where they should be safe: school buses.

Batelco is the leading communications technology and telecom provider in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It creates mobile solutions that deliver on its brand purpose of “upgrading lives for every one, every day, through technology”.

Unfortunately, in many instances in Bahrain, school buses - that are supposed to be joyful and safe rides for children - have turned into carriers of tragic news; as children have been dying in buses.

To protect children, Batelco created THE SMART BUSES; a cutting edge IoT and ICT vehicle solution for Bahraini schools, school children and their parents, that keeps children safe and protected from the neglect and the oversight in school buses that has led to children dying unnecessarily in Bahrain.

No children have died in school buses since. 222 buses deployed. USD 1.32 million in sales. Innovation equity +49% (from 35%) vs. competition. Overall revenue +44%. Earned media = 538,000 USD.

The buses are designed using Batelco’s innovative mobile, IoT and ICT technologies.

A smart monitoring system registers the number of children on every journey, counts the children in and out.

With a 4G connector providing WiFi on the go, the system notifies the school and parents of the missing children or those left behind.

Additionally, the school and parents can monitor the location of their respective bus via GPS and know the arrival time at school and also, at home.

With driver identification built into the system, the solution also ensures the drivers abide by traffic rules and regulations by allowing parents and the school to monitor the speed of their bus.

A camera with network video recording (NVR) and a sound sensor detects signs of distress among the children

And temperature control systems control the heat, especially during the unbearable summers.