Philadelphia School Buses to Get Cameras To Ticket Drivers

Philadelphia schools are piloting a new program to install cameras on school buses to catch drivers who illegally pass stopped buses on the roads.

On Tuesday morning, April 15, school district officials revealed plans for a new program that will outfit 20 buses throughout Philadelphia with cameras that can issue tickets to drivers who illegally pass a school bus when the stop arm is extended. The cameras will be mounted on bus stop arms to record drivers illegally passing buses.

In a statement shared with NBC10 News Philadelphia, officials said, "According to Pennsylvania's School Bus Stopping Law, motorists are required to stop at least 10 feet away from school buses either when they are behind, or approaching an intersection, where a bus has its red lights flashing and stop arm activated, and must wait until the red lights have stopped flashing and the stop arm has been withdrawn." 

According to the media briefing, the buses selected to participate in the pilot program were chosen based on their routes, which include stops on major streets, multi-lane highways, and active intersections.

Officials noted that the stop-arm cameras were made available at no cost to the district. The pilot program will continue throughout the school year.

At first, no citations will be issued through this pilot program. Officials warned, however, that the number of violators will be shared with the district to allow them to review the information as part of the pilot program.