Brighton and Pittsford are the latest school districts to sign onto a county program that uses cameras to enforce laws around passing stopped school buses.
The districts have joined the Monroe County School Bus Safety Program. That's a partnership between the county and the firm BusPatrol, which installs cameras on buses to record drivers illegally passing stopped school buses with stop signs deployed, and red lights flashing.
Staffers with the company review the camera footage and forward those segments to the county in which they determine the driver broke the law. The county then issues a ticket to the vehicle's owner. Tickets carry a $250 fine for the first violation, with escalating penalties for repeat violations over a period of 18 months.
A 30-day warning period began Thursday in those districts, and in the West Irondequoit School District, which previously enrolled in the program. During this time, the county will issue warnings letters without fines. The warning period ends Feb. 9.
The three districts join the Spencerport, Hilton, East Irondequoit, Webster, and Greece school districts in the county program. The city of Rochester has launched a similar program of its own.
Monroe County has issued 2,600 citations to vehicle owners so far this school year, records show, and more than 16,000 citations since the program began in October 2023.
