Stop arm cameras were installed on all East Greenbush CSD school buses in Spring 2023 in an effort to improve school bus safety.
In an effort to improve school bus safety, the East Greenbush Central School District added Stop Arm Cameras to its entire fleet of buses in Spring 2023. Since that time, more than 3,300 tickets have been issued to motorists for illegally passing school buses, an average of 111 tickets per month.
While the high volume of violations highlights a persistent public safety concern in the community, the district is encouraged by one key trend: the number of monthly tickets has been declining over time.
This suggests the program is succeeding in two ways: 1) ticketing those who break the law and put children at risk and 2) deterring illegal passing of school buses.
Based on data from Bus Patrol, which is the vendor that operates the Stop Arm Camera program at no cost to the district, violations per month have decreased from 116/month in 2023-24 to 106/month in 2024-25.
“Cooperative intermunicipal efforts to maintain student safety are imperative,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kurtis Kotes. “We value the relationships that we have in place for our stop arm cameras both with Rensselaer County and the Town of East Greenbush, continuing to ensure that we are taking effective steps to secure our bus routes and bus stops.”
The Bus Patrol data also allows the district to see where every violation occurs. More than 26 percent of all violations occur on a one-mile stretch of Columbia Turnpike between the entrance to Regeneron and the Hoffman Car Wash.
In addition to the Stop Arm Camera program automatically issuing tickets to motorists, the district has partnered with local law enforcement to patrol along bus routes and pull over any cars that pass school buses illegally.
“The East Greenbush Police Department is proud to continue partnering with the East Greenbush Central School District through the Stop Arm Camera Program,” said Chief Elaine M. Rudzinski. “By officers following school buses during their daily routes and diligently enforcing the New York State traffic laws, our officers are working to keep students safe and remind drivers that nothing is more important than protecting our children on their way to and from school.”
Stop Arm Camera Program
The Stop Arm Camera Program was implemented in partnership with Rensselaer County and the technology vendor Bus Patrol at no cost to East Greenbush CSD taxpayers. Installation on the entire 102-bus fleet was completed in Spring 2023.
The technology is triggered whenever a school bus activates its flashing red lights and deploys its red stop sign (stop arm). If a vehicle illegally drives past the bus during this time, the camera records the violation, identifies the license plate number, and uploads the video for review. Verified violations are then sent to the appropriate law enforcement agency for ticketing.
Each violation comes with a $250 fine which is mailed to the driver.
National School Bus Safety Week
The East Greenbush CSD participated in Operation Safe Stop on Wednesday as part of National School Bus Safety Week. This included increased patrols and enforcement from local law enforcement along bus routes last week. The focus was on making sure everyone knows and follows the law to keep our students safe. 5 Tips for School Bus Safety Week.
Special thanks to the Rensselaer County Legislature, the Board of Education and in particular former board member Mark Mann, and local law enforcement for supporting the Stop Arm Camera program!