Virginia man presses for more transparency for school bus arm ticket program

Nov 01, 2024

RICHMOND, Va. — Glenn Davidson and Butch Earnheart's story is a unique one.

They both spoke with CBS 6 earlier this month, saying they both received two $250 tickets for driving past stopped school buses with their stop signs out, but maintain it happened after school was let out, while passing a line of buses, which were pulled over with no one visibly around the area.

Once we shared their story, we heard from viewers saying similar things happened to them.

School buses in Richmond Public Schools have a camera that is attached to the stop-arm signal that comes out as part of its Stop Arm Camera Enforcement program. The cameras, and any violations generated from them, are owned BusPatrol America, a third-party vendor that has a contract with Richmond Public Schools.

The cameras take photos and videos of drivers going past the stop arm sign, then generate violations which can be validated by Richmond Police.

Since the beginning of 2023, Richmond Police have received 19,321 possible violations from the Alert Bus system, of which 11,013—approximately 57 percent—were deemed valid.

In just this year alone, 14,961 potential violations have been reported, with 10,623 — about 71 percent — validated by police.

WATCH: RPS school board considers changes to bus driver overtime: 'My drivers are so anxious right now'

According to Richmond Public Schools Department of Pupil Transportation Employee Handbook guidelines from 2022, which was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act Request, the "stop arms" are activated by a red control button located near the front door handle, and the switch should be activated only when the bus is completely stopped, and passengers are ready to load or unload.

The control button should be turned off (to deactivate traffic warning lights) after students are seated, the door has been closed, and before the bus is set into motion.

However, the non-sequential system of red traffic warning lights, a warning sign with flashing lights and a crossing control arm automatically activated when the bus door is opened. Any new bus placed into service on or after July 1, 2007, includes this system.

According to the handbook, school bus operators should report drivers or vehicles that ignore the red traffic warning lights and stop arm while loading or unloading students.

CBS 6 has put in a request to RPS to see how many of those reports have been sent to the Department of Pupil Transportation between the start of 2023 and now.

Operators may be able to stop a bus for emergencies or personal needs, but it must be communicated first.

"I spent two years down the rabbit hole trying to figure out, what did I do wrong?" said Christopher Fryman, who said he got a ticket in the eastern part of the state from the same vendor a few years ago.

He says, like other viewers we've heard from, that the violation notices don't always show the full story.

According to Bus Patrol, if a person who receives a violation that is validated by police tries to contest it in court, they could face court fees, the fine, a hit to their driving record, and potentially, a change in insurance.

"You have a school bus system with cameras on it, but the way they put the video together gives it more of a bubble effect," Fryman said. "And when I put my video against Google Maps and started looking at locations to cross-reference it with, I realized that the distances seem closer on the cameras than what I was seeing on the actual, you know, the Google Map cameras. So, it's one of those things. Where are the officers? Are they giving the full view?”

According to Richmond Public Schools, the program has collected about $523,000 in fees over the last three fiscal years from the Stop Arm Camera Enforcement Program.

Richmond's current contract with BusPatrol America started November 30, 2017, and runs until June 26, 2026.

WATCH: More drivers reach out to CBS 6 after getting tickets for passing Richmond school buses

According to the contract, there is a monthly fee of $150 per school bus, which is to be paid to BusPatrol to compensate for the estimated up-front capital expenditures needed to install the system.

BusPatrol Revenue share payments equal 60% of the amount of gross revenues from fines and penalties collected each month, to be paid to BusPatrol. Richmond's School Board gets 40% of the amount of gross revenues from fines and penalties collected each month, but a portion of that goes toward paying for the technology.

According to the current contract, the system has been installed on 252 buses.

Fryman said he's pushing for more transparency so that drivers know where their money is going each time they pay a citation.

He even wrote a letter to the General Assembly, asking for more uniformity on how the stop-arm signs are deployed, to prevent confusion and ensure safety without hurting someone's wallet.

“You have a retention of money leaving your community. That's the true issue here. Like I said, I'm always been a believer. Buy local, you know, keep it local the best you can. And this kind of sucks the money out of out of your local economy. It hurts people," Fryman said.

CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.

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