In March, the Grand Rapids Public School District partnered with Dean Transportation and BusPatrol equipping all 135 buses with interior cameras and exterior stop-arm cameras at no cost to the district. The cameras record passing vehicles when a bus’s stop-arm is extended and flashing red. According to the state of Michigan, school buses are illegally passed more than 2,000 times every day.
Ticketing is tentatively scheduled to begin Monday, May 4th.
According to Grand Rapids Public Schools Director of Communications Luke Stier, the warning period is being extended an additional week to ensure the community is properly educated on the upcoming school bus safety initiative.
During the warning period, motorists who illegally pass a stopped school bus will receive warning notices by mail with no financial penalty.
Recorded incidents will be reviewed by the Grand Rapids Police Department before a citation is issued. A portion of the citation revenue will pay for the safety program.
For a weekly dose of news right to your inbox, sign up for the WGVU newsletter.
