5,400 School Bus Passing Violations Issued In Cheltenham Twp.

CHELTENHAM TOWNSHIP, PA —The number of violations issued by the Cheltenham Township Police Department for drivers passing school buses illegally is "mindboggling," police say.

Since October 2023, the full fleet of Cheltenham School District buses has been equipped with cameras for automated enforcement in a partnership between BusPatrol, the Cheltenham Township Police Department, and the school district.

Since that time, police have issued over 5,400 violations captured by the BusPatrol program, police said.

“Frankly, the number has been mindboggling," Lt. Andy Snyder said. “Our message is very simple. When you see a school bus with its red lights activated, stop. Children’s lives are at stake."

The BusPatrol program's goal is to protect the safety of children getting on and off the school buses, as well as educate drivers about school bus safety laws.

The investment per bus is around $6,000, said Ryan Monell of BusPatrol, but the investment is funded by the violations, not taken from the budgets of the school district or township.

The fine for first-time infractions is $300, which is currently set by statute.

Schools Superintendent Brian Scriven said the school district wants to be as proactive as possible, which is why it started the program in the first place.

“As a community, we have to take more ownership around protecting our children, so this is about to amp up before we have a tragedy," he said.

The automated enforcement technology captures multiple angles of video, as well as license plate data, of vehicles passing a school bus when its red lights are on and its stop-arm is extended.

BusPatrol reviews the videos captured against state and local statutes before an evidence package is sent to CTPD for review.

If a violation merits a ticket, it will be sent to the registered owner of the vehicle through BusPatrol. Violators will be able to access the video showing their infractions.

One reason for the rampant violations, Snyder said, is distracted driving – drivers who haven’t even registered the presence of a bus due to the use of cell phones or other items distracting their eyes from the road.

Police remind drivers that when a bus has its stop-arm extended, traffic must stop in all directions, including at intersections, even if the driver would not be passing the bus at the intersection in its direction of travel.

The only time a driver is permitted to continue is if there is a raised barrier separating the bus from that driver.

Police shared video of some of the infractions captured in Cheltenham. One clip showed a near-tragedy, with a car passing from behind the bus, stopping only when the bus driver waved an arm out the window as an extra effort to protect a child crossing in front of the bus.

The police department had hoped to see violations dwindle. But police are still seeing "flagrant and dangerous actions" by drivers.

Police are working to spread the word and continue education about the importance of abiding by driver safety laws, especially when it comes to school children.