PROVIDENCE – Each fall, a return to school brings the usual rush of yellow buses to Rhode Island’s streets. But this year, buses will come installed with new cameras posted in and outside the vehicles.
Starting Oct. 1, exterior cameras will capture video of drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses, carrying with them a $250 fine for a first offense and up to a $500 fine for additional violations, the Providence Public School District recently announced.
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The new camera fleet won’t by limited to only viewing other drivers, as the district will also install cameras on the inside to “monitor activity onboard the bus,” according to Providence Public Schools.
PPSD has partnered with Virginia-based company BusPatrol to implement the camera system. The district is partnering with the Providence Police Department and the city administration to roll out the cameras.
Last spring, the Cumberland School Department approved a camera system to ticket drivers who illegally pass stopped buses, The Valley Breeze reported in April.
Under state law, drivers approaching a school bus with its red lights flashing must stop from either direction.
While fines have yet to be issued, the district started using the cameras on Sept. 3, the first day of school for PPSD students, to initiate warning notices.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
