Hillsborough schools introduces new cameras to catch drivers illegally passing stopped buses

TAMPA, Fla. - Starting this school year, all Hillsborough County Public School buses will be equipped with new cameras, aimed at catching drivers illegally passing stopped school buses. 

Roughly 1,000 school buses transport 78,000 students every day, according to Hillsborough Schools Superintendent Van Ayres.

"Recent studies of illegal passing in the state reveal that school buses are illegally passed while stopped over three times per bus per day," Ayres said. "This is absolutely unacceptable."

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The new cameras by Virginia-based company, BusPatrol, were installed on the outside of all school buses. School districts are allowed to install infraction detection systems, like this, on school buses thanks to new laws passed last summer. 

Officials will use artificial intelligence technology to quickly sift through all the video recorded by these new cameras to identify the license plates of drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses. That footage will be reviewed by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. 

"I feel happy. All of our drivers are pretty, pretty happy about it. Because before, if somebody crosses the stop arm, we needed to look at the [license] plate, try to write it down, and that was almost impossible with kids on the bus," said Carlos Hernandez, who trains and recruits bus drivers for Hillsborough County Public Schools. 

New cameras were also installed inside all the buses. Additionally, in the event of a fight or security incident, drivers will now be able to press a new panic button.

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"And what that does is, it sends a text message to a designated official at the school that has a live view that's time stamped right into the bus," BusPatrol Chief Growth Officer Steve Randazzo said.

Randazzo told FOX 13 that BusPatrol provided these cameras to the district free of charge and that the district will use ticket money to pay a monthly fee back to BusPatrol. 

"The focus of this program – let me be clear – is not about ticketing drivers. It's to change driver behavior and protect our students every day," Ayres said.

Starting Sept. 12, if these cameras record you illegally passing a stopped school bus, it’ll cost you $225, which is more than red light violation fines. 

"It's great to have those cameras, because now it could change people’s behavior, because you got to touch their wallet for them to realize, ‘well, I got to stop doing this,’" Hernandez said. 

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Starting Aug. 12, which is the first day of school, there will be a 30-day warning period where drivers will receive warnings instead of tickets. 

Polk county school buses will also be equipped with similar camera systems starting this year. 

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