Mayor Robert Restaino announced the partnership with BusPatrol during a Thursday afternoon news conference. The contract was signed earlier in the day at city hall.
BusPatrol specializes in what is described as school bus safety technology. The company says its technology focuses on increasing bus safety through the use of data collection and video monitoring.
In practice, BusPatrol installs video cameras on the outside of school buses, typically on the bus’ stop-arm. The camera is activated each time a bus stops and the stop-arm is extended.
If a driver passes the stopped school bus, that violation of the state’s vehicle and traffic law is recorded and saved to a server. The data on the server is then provided to local law enforcement agencies who can issue citations to the registered owner of the vehicle that passed the stopped school bus.
In a news release, BusPatrol said its technology “helps police issue tickets and enforce critical laws to change driver behavior.”
In 2019, BusPatrol conducted a pilot program with Niagara Falls Coach Lines and the Falls City School District to determine the number of potential violations that could be captured using the safety camera system. School officials said, at that time, that the results of the pilot program were shocking.
“During the trial period of time, with only two buses having cameras, far too many cars illegally passed stopped buses,” Falls School Superintendent Mark Laurrie said. “The safety of our children is paramount. This program will send a strong message that the safety of children on and around buses must be taken very seriously.”
In July 2020, the Falls City Council approved a five year contract with BusPatrol.
“Reviewing the findings of the pilot program, the need for additional safety measures became imperative,” Restaino, who was the Falls School Board president at the time of the program, said. “This partnership will bring additional enforcement to protect school children.”
Restaino described BusPatrol’s services as “the cost-effective procurement, deployment, and maintenance of safety technology.”
The program has no cost to either the city or the school district. It is funded through a violator cost-recovery model, where 60 percent of the violator fines are paid to BusPatrol as a part of its agreement.
BusPatrol CEO and Founder Jean Souliere, said the new partnership will ensure that students are safe as they travel to and from school.
“Our safety programs are proven to reduce the number of illegal passes by up to 30 percent year over year,” Souliere said. “We look forward to inciting a similar change in driver behavior in Niagara Falls and helping the city to put safety first.”
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