Months after school districts partner with Bus Patrol, Philadelphia-area townships find staggering results
Several school districts in the Philadelphia region have partnered with , a company that operates an AI-powered school bus safety program, and the results have shown a staggering number of violations by drivers in the Delaware Valley.
In one mother's words, it was her kindergartner's "brush with death." It happened at a school bus stop years ago. A car barreled through despite red flashing lights and the bus's extended stop arm. A 5-year-old was nearly struck as a result.
That reckless incident motivated Amber Clark to advocate for legislation that helps law enforcement better patrol school bus stops by using video surveillance.
Some of the numbers of violations are astounding and shocking. CBS News Philadelphia went digging for results since the company known as Bus Patrol partnered with school districts in the Delaware Valley.
In fall 2024, we first reported that local townships and school districts had entered into agreements with Bus Patrol. The company, founded in 2017, outfits school buses with cameras that capture school bus zone violators in the act.
In one township, the number of violations shocked local officials, confirming they had a serious problem at school bus stops.
"A brush with death"
The story for Clark began in 2017. The Allentown mom will tell you she is persistent.
"Once I get a hold of something, I don't let go," she said.
Out for a walk with her daughter, Olive Clark Ortiz, Clark relives as she calls "a brush with death," the day her daughter was nearly hit by a school bus about eight years ago.
"The bus stopped, put it red lights up, put stop arm out," she said. "I heard the car, I heard the engine rev, backfire or whatever it did, and I looked toward it, barreling toward us. I scooped up Olivia and spun and the hood of the car grazed her backpack. I smacked the window as it was going past, and I was hollering, and the guy was on his phone laughing at me."
"Some white car, kind of grey from what I remember, it just went past the bus doors," Clark-Ortiz said. "If it weren't for my mom and my aunt pulling me back."
From that moment, Clark went to work. She called transportation officials in dozens of states, where laws were in place using school bus cameras to catch drivers who ignored safety zones around stopped school buses.
Clark worked with Pennsylvania lawmakers. In 2020, a was passed into law.
"Because that's my daughter. I know how I felt," Clark said when asked why she cared so much. "Just, she barely remembers it happening, that was eight years ago. You try to shield them. I can't tell her you almost died."
"Ten thousand violations for passing a school bus"
In Upper Darby Township, officials announced a partnership with Bus Patrol after the start of the school year.
Police shared example after example of drivers blowing by school buses fully stopped, with flashing lights, and the stop arm deployed. Police say the video revealed a common driving habit.
"They saw that yellow flashing light," Upper Darby Police Superintendent Tim Bernhardt said. "Instead of slowing down, they try to speed up to prevent the red light. That's not what those yellow lights are meant to be, just like a traffic light. You want to stop at the yellow, because you know the red light is coming out."
Upper Darby police shared they've reached a staggering number of violations.
"We have 10,000," Bernhardt said. "Ten thousand violations for passing a school bus."
Bernhardt says his department reviewed each violation. The driver is then sent a $300 civil fine.
The police superintendent says the driver's license isn't suspended and there are no points assessed. Additionally, the driver can still fight the violation before a hearing examiner and, if dissatisfied with the outcome, in court.
"For us, it's not about creating revenue, it's about making people aware, you can't pass a school bus," Bernhardt said.
In Abington Township, their agreement with Bus Patrol began this past winter.
"We're surprised at the amount of violations being sent to us. And legitimate violations, not close calls," Traffic Safety Officer Michael Coughlin said.
While Abington's number is far below Upper Darby's, the program has still captured several hundred violations.
"People are starting to get the message that these cameras are out there," Coughlin said.
"They tend to get the message over time," Steve Randazzo, chief growth officer with Bus Patrol, said. "Over 90% of folks who get a violation in the mail do not reoffend."
Where does the violation money go?
Randazzo explained how the $300 violation is broken down. $25 goes to the local police department. Another $25 to a school bus safety grant program administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The remaining $250 is split between Bus Patrol and the local school district.
Randazzo said Bus Patrol fronts all the capital for the system, with the installation of cameras on every bus in a district, regardless of the number.
"The percentage might sound like sticker shock," Randazzo said. "The school district never pays a penny for the program. Law-abiding taxpayers who fund the school district budget do not pay a penny for the program. It is all funded by those who break the law."
For Clark, Upper Darby's figures on violators were alarming.
"It's disheartening. It makes me angry," she said. "Everyone knows it's a two-story giant rectangle with flashing lights. That makes me mad, because they're kids."
While Upper Darby's number may seem off the charts, industry experts and sources say it isn't uncommon given the density of the township, the traffic, the roads and the large number of school children.
The School District of Philadelphia announced a in April. Twenty of its buses were outfitted with cameras as part of a pilot program. It's possible the program will be fully expanded in the city for the next school year.
