Following other communities in the region, Albany is now using artificial intelligence on school buses to promote safety.
Federal and state laws require drivers to stop when a school bus puts on its flashing lights and extends its stop sign.
But Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said she’s surprised how many drivers disobey these rules. "I was actually really stunned to see the numbers in New York state, it's estimated that every year, 50,000 drivers drive right past the stop arm of school busses," she said.
To help crack down on such reckless behavior, Albany has outfitted more than 100 school buses traversing 70 routes with artificial intelligence-powered stop-arm cameras.
School districts in several other Capital Region counties already utilize such technology.
Albany city officials gathered at Eagle Point Elementary School Monday morning for the launch of the program, which relies on technology made by Virginia-based BusPatrol.
Spokesperson Ryan Monell said BusPatrol will be installing equipment on every school bus that runs in the city. "Regardless of where a student may live or where they may go to school, their route will be protected... when you see the yellow lights flashing on the bus, it means it's about to stop," said Monell.
Sheehan said fines are already established by state law, with the first offense costing $250, the second costing $275 and the third costing $300. Tickets do not add points to drivers' licenses. "We often hear from the cynics that this is a money grab, but that nothing could be further from the truth," Sheehan said.
Albany did not have to pay up front for the technology. Instead, much like with the city’s speed cameras, vendor BusPatrol's fees fro installation, maintenance and service are covered by ticket revenue.
Albany City School District Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter said keeping the community safe is a team effort. "Albany county reports that data from the stop iron cameras in other school districts show 94% of first time offenders do not have a second violation. That shows that this program works, and we're excited to roll it out right here in the city."
Sheehan says a 30-day "warning period" now underway is meant to help educate drivers that the new system is now in place. "This is an opportunity for us to also do some public education on the rules of the road and what to do when a bus is stopped and has the arm out." Sheehan adds the program is in line with police reform recommendations calling for more automated ticketing to reduce the number of interactions that people have with police officers.
Ticketing begins October 20th, coinciding with National School Bus Safety Week.
