The latest in the automated traffic camera wars: school buses
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This is what the cameras look like on school buses. Photo: Steve Pfost/Newsday RM via Getty Images
Montgomery County's AI-powered school bus cameras are catching new scrutiny.
Why it matters: A new report raises questions about a hot local topic — whether automated traffic enforcement cameras are improving road safety or the government's bottom line.
State of play: BusPatrol pitches itself to localities, offering to handle the grunt work of catching bad drivers, while splitting the payoff from the fines with the government.
- When Montgomery County partnered with BusPatrol in 2017, police said violations would decline. But Bloomberg Businessweek reported in a long read last week that violations remain high and the county hasn't improved road design.
How it works: BusPatrol's AI-powered cameras capture drivers who fail to stop for a school bus' stop sign.
- The images are sent to police, who then decide whether a fine is warranted. If so, BusPatrol mails the driver a $250 ticket.
- One of its most prolific sites is in Silver Spring at 1400 East-West Highway, a busy six-lane corridor. Over 11,500 tickets have been issued over the past decade, per Bloomberg.
By the numbers: BusPatrol has issued more than 375,000 tickets and $92 million in fines in MoCo.
Yes, but: Violation levels have little improved, from 36 citations per active camera in 2020 to 34 last year, per data acquired by Bloomberg.
- A state audit also raised questions about whether the county was getting a fair split of the revenue in the program's early days. The county ended up revising its agreement, and between fiscal years 2019 and 2024, pocketed about $18.5 million in fines, while BusPatrol took $40 million.
- Critics say that county officials aren't following the data to make the road any safer — things like infrastructure tweaks to drive down violations.
The other side: Montgomery County defends the program. Vision Zero official Wade Holland told Bloomberg that the tool is part educational, part holding drivers accountable.
- Holland says the county has repainted some crosswalks by bus stops and added reflective materials.
BusPatrol, which offers its services in 24 states, told Axios in a statement its tech is "devoted to addressing the national epidemic of school bus stop-arm violations that endanger our children every day across this country."
- The company cites support from the Governors Highway Safety Association, saying its "child safety programs are statistically proven to reduce illegal passing."