BusPatrol – Jean Souliere On Creating A Student Safe Ecosystem

With a vision for the future and the determination to see it through, Jean Souliere took on the challenge of creating a safe place for children in an industry that remained untouched and ignored by the passing of time. Our children are our future and the most precious part of our world. Jean Souliere recognized a problem with the safety of our children as they leave their homes and journey to school. He created a safety solution for every community, at no cost to the residents. The value proposition and the impact that BusPatrol offers for every community is profound.

Jean Souliere is the Chief Executive Officer of BusPatrol. The mission of this organization is to create an awareness in all drivers of the responsibility they are required to take when approaching a school bus. School bus drivers are entrusted with the safety of each child every time a child steps on or off a bus. BusPatrol takes a proactive approach to assist drivers in becoming knowledgeable about their responsibility.

The Stop-Arm school Bus Camera Enforcement Program identifies vehicles that illegally pass the school bus by using school bus cameras positioned on the side of the bus. BusPatrol developed the technology using leading-edge Artificial Intelligence enabled devices specifically designed for the industry. The company partners in cooperation with bus operators, parents and teachers, municipalities and the police for the safety and betterment of all.

Tell us a bit about what you do.

BusPatrol turns school buses into smart buses. There is typically very little funding, therefore, no incentive to initiate programs for high-tech instrumentation to be installed into school buses. As such, this technology is not accessible to schools. BusPatrol has found an innovative way to bring world-class Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) technology to schools to keep their kids safe. We have done this through our Stop-Arm Enforcement Program. Essentially, what we do is install Stop-Arm school bus cameras on the side of the school buses. We identify vehicles that illegally pass a school bus. We work with municipalities and law enforcement to issue tickets. The fines revenue generated from those tickets can then be reinvested in propagating more technology so the school buses and the schools themselves can become safer places for all children.

What gave you the idea for BusPatrol? How did it start?

According to patch.com, BusPatrol America started when we were looking for different technologies to automate the logistics industry. We were searching to find ways to help trucking become more tech savvy. We were also looking at the integration of brokers and improving how customers of logistics interacted with their suppliers. While researching along that path, we discovered the issue of people illegally passing school buses. At first, many didn’t really believe it. I myself, witnessed a child being hit by a car when I was taking the school bus as a young teen. I knew first hand that the problem was real and what impact these tragedies have on communities and other kids. We seriously questioned it and decided to find some supporting evidence and data. We asked a friend in Montreal, who owned a school bus company if he could manually track the number of times that his buses were being passed illegally. Much to our surprise, there were over three violations per bus per day during our very rudimentary manual pilot. After we were convinced, we started to engage with the different stakeholders in the industry. We spoke with school bus operators and drivers and transportation districts who validated the problem. We also acknowledged how under-invested in technology that this industry was. This is when we saw an opportunity. We began to acquire the technology that we needed to address the issue in Canada. After that, we designed a solution that was going to be able to handle our Canadian climate. We knew we needed a more robust technology solution for school bus cameras to withstand the cold winters. We designed the technology with some American companies then build our own proprietary technology. We started implementing it in the U.S., were we founded BusPatrol America.

What’s your favorite thing about your chosen profession?

Being a tech options person is exciting right away because you get to see the different ways technology can be used to improve efficiency. Early in my career that was fun. Being able to apply that technology to school safety and protect children’s lives has its own rewards. We are doing something that creates community good. It also makes a material impact on the future.

What keys to being productive can you share with us?

There are many people that we need to educate in order to make these school bus camera programs work. Some of the people and organizations that we must educate are the school districts, communities, municipalities, and the police forces. Many people are not aware of what technology is available to them. So, our main job is to educate. We educate school districts as to how to enable some really cool A.I. enabled technologies on school buses to positively affect bullying on school buses, as an example. We can educate police forces on how the technology that they use to monitor red-light traffic or speed, where that approach can be applied to the school bus. It will make them more efficient so that police officers can spend more time working with their communities while allowing technologies to do the job of enforcement of traffic laws. Municipalities will be able to create programs continually invest in the school system in a positive and constructive way, at no cost to the taxpayers.

Tell us one long-term goal in your career.

My long-term goal with BusPatrol is to create a student safety ecosystem that invites all people, partners, and companies that have the technology to help make students lives safer and better, to be able to drive innovation in the space that hasn’t existed to date. I want to be able to give access to schools the technologies that can attract our biggest problems. In America, we have a tremendous problem with mass casualty events. We have a problem with managing who has access to our schools to make sure that our kids are safe. There is a lot that we can do given the proper platform to make that change. I want to make sure we can take our school bus camera safety program (Stop Arm Enforcement Program) and have it be the funding engine for some of the most important safety innovations that the industry can develop.

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned through the course of your career?

The most valuable lesson I’ve learned through the course of my career is to listen. It is tremendously important when you are building a start-up. You need to know what your customers really need. It is not about convincing them that your technology is worth adoption because you’re going to it into your own paradigm. It is about understanding the value brought forward by the solution. I have always tried to make sure our product development process for school bus cameras is aimed at reducing the number of violations. We center everything that our company does around changing the driving culture in communities. We do this in cooperation with parents, driver, teachers & law enforcement. In fact, BusPatrol collaborates with our stakeholders to develop new functions and features. One of our largest partners is Montgomery County of Maryland. They have helped us not only design new technology features but also changed the process to help us become more efficient in how we interact with police.

What advice would you give to others aspiring to succeed in the technology Industry?

The advice I would give to anyone who wants to succeed in the technology industry is, do not let the limitations of past thinking limit the creativity of changing the world to be a better place. I want every company that has an idea for schools, to develop it and to be brave enough to bring it to market. I know there has not been a lot of money in the space. It has been a challenge for people to how to be commercially successful in it. We found a creative way to do it, and I hope that it inspires people to make more and more solutions available for kids. And to ultimately make the world a better place for everyone.

What are your favorite things to do outside of work?

My favorite thing to do outside of work is traveling and spending time with my family. I have five children, one grandson and soon to be a second grandchild this summer. Having said that, it makes the work I do even more important. The value proposition and the impact that BusPatrol has is very personal to me.

Name a few influential books you’ve read and/or websites you keep up with that you’d recommend to readers.

Of Mice and Men is one of my personal favorites. I also read a lot about political issues. I read the Red Notice, The Bill Browder Story. It was very interesting. I just finished watching Chernobyl. I believe everyone should be aware of past history. I don’t believe society focuses enough on our history. Learning about history can help guide our future.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would tell my younger self to breathe. If there is one thing I’ve learned over time is that patience and steady wins the race. Everything that may seem like a monumental challenge one day, in hindsight it may not be so important. Always remember that the value you could build is always directly attributed to the value that the surrounding people bring to the table. Make sure you surround yourself with good hard-working people who share your same values. Be patient and steadfast in trying to achieve your objective.

Be sure to check out BusPatrol’s social media links below.

Facebook | Twitter | Linked In | YouTube