The city of Bridgeport is cracking down on reckless drivers by installing cameras and license plate readers on school buses.
Back in February, the city released results from a study that stated nearly 10,000 violations were issued in a six-month period to drivers who passed school buses that were stopped with flashing lights.
The city has partnered with BusPatrol to install the cameras and readers on all 248 buses used across the public school district, hoping to catch drivers in the act.
“No parent should have to worry about their child from the moment they step onto a school bus to the moment they step off and come home,” said Mayor Joe Ganim.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
Fines have been increased from $150 to $250, with the money earned through tickets going to the city to pay for the technology, the city said.
“All the time, all the time they do that,” said bus driver James Coby. “It’s not safe for kids that are crossing.”
He said drivers cut him off daily and pass him as he’s stopped.
Local
“We have the outside cameras [for] when we are loading and unloading, so they don’t cut the stop sign. They still do it,” he said.
Coby’s bus is already equipped with the cameras. He said it makes him feel safer.
The data collected is sent to police within 48 hours and ticketing happens from there.
“When the stop arm is out, and the amber lights are on, violations can be captured on video,” said Ryan Monell from BusPatrol. “We actually have a license plate reader here that has very high resolution that can capture very clearly the license plates of violators, then we have an artificial intelligence system that’s gonna make sure that everything that is captured that Is presented to the city is a true technical violation of the law.”
BusPatrol said Bridgeport is the first in Connecticut to use this technology. They operate in 16 other states.
The program officially started on Wednesday.
