AI cameras on school buses issue hundreds of thousands of tickets

In the US, AI cameras on school buses record drivers who fail to stop when a bus extends its stop arm to pick up or drop off children. BusPatrol has installed cameras on about 35,000 buses across 24 states. After a violation, a person reviews the footage and prepares evidence for the police, then a ticket is sent to the driver. The companies say the cameras change driver behavior, but an investigation in Montgomery County, Maryland, found no decline in collisions near stopped school buses.

AI cameras on school buses have issued hundreds of thousands of tickets

How the cameras work

The cameras identify drivers who pass a school bus with its stop arm extended. The violation data is sent to a reviewer, who compiles evidence for the police; the driver then receives a ticket.

BusPatrol has equipped about 35,000 buses with cameras across 24 states. AngelTrax also operates in this industry. The company recently announced a partnership with Idaho bus operator Teton Stage Lines, Local News 8 reported.

Companies say repeat violations are declining

AngelTrax vice president of operations Catherine Tolar said that 98% of drivers who receive a ticket do not violate the rules again. In August, Verra Mobility also said that, according to its data, 98% of ticketed drivers do not reoffend, and that the number of tickets falls by 70% over the school year.

These figures come from the companies themselves. How much the cameras actually deter drivers from breaking the rules remains an open question.

Many tickets, but no drop in crashes

In Montgomery County, Maryland, BusPatrol issued 375,000 tickets totaling $92 million. But an investigation by Type Investigations and Bloomberg found no evidence in county records that collisions near stopped school buses had declined.

From 2019 to 2024, BusPatrol received about $40 million in collected fines, while the county received $18.5 million.

Cameras and privacy concerns

The spread of surveillance systems on roads is raising concerns, especially alongside other camera networks. However, available information indicates that police cannot remotely access school bus cameras across the country, as they can with the Flock system.

Dataist's take: the cameras help document violations, but the companies' statistics alone do not prove that they reduce crashes. Data from Montgomery County also point to another limitation: a significant share of collected fines goes to the system operator.