IC Bus to include OnCommand Connection remote diagnostics as standard on all school buses

IC Bus announces that it will offer OnCommand Connection, Navistar's open architecture remote diagnostic system, as a standard on all IC Bus brand school buses using an approved telematics partner.

OnCommand Connection integrates with a customer's existing telematics provider, regardless of vehicle make, to transmit performance and diagnostic-related data to the system. OnCommand Connection then interprets this data to create easy-to-understand vehicle health reports with recommended actions based on operating conditions and the severity level of any fault codes. Visibility into the operational health of the school bus empowers fleet managers to understand the severity of vehicle issues and determine the appropriate action.

"For the commercial truck industry, OnCommand Connection has been an industry-leading remote diagnostics solution, and we have customers across U.S. and Canada already experiencing tangible, real-world benefits of OnCommand Connection," says Trish Reed, Vice President and General Manager of IC Bus. "We are now excited to bring this offering to the school bus market and help our customers keep their buses on-time and reduce maintenance costs."

Currently, OnCommand Connection is available as a standard, no-charge option on all new school buses, even competitive models, model year 2007 and newer, equipped with partnering telematics providers.

In addition, IC Bus is offering the industry's first telematics credit—the telematics hardware and a two-year data plan from one of several telematics service providers will be standard and available at no cost to the customer through this program. Hardware and data from other telematics service provider partners will be partially covered by this program. The credit bundle goes into effect on new orders placed since July 1, 2015 in the U.S. and Canada, and will be available to customers buying directly through the IC Bus dealer organization. 

Furthermore, IC Bus has added Tyler Technologies Inc. as an integrated partner for its school transportation business. Tyler Technologies is a leading provider of end-to-end information management solutions and services for local governments. IC Bus and Tyler Technologies have integrated key software and hardware to give school districts visibility into the health of the vehicle and severity of issues.

"We are excited to introduce Tyler Technologies as an integrated member of our family of partner telematics providers," says Mike Cerilli, Vice President and General Manager of Navistar's Connected Vehicle Business. "This partnership not only allows our customers to access OnCommand Connection but also provides access to other school transportation solutions that Tyler offers in areas such as routing, student tracking and more."

"We're pleased to work with IC Bus, not only because dealer-installed telematics is convenient for our clients, but because like Tyler, IC Bus wants to help school districts get the most from their school bus fleet investments," says Ted Thien, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Tyler's Versatrans solution.