North Penn To Use New Technology To Protect Students On Buses

LANSDALE, PA — The North Penn School District is hopping aboard the high-tech security bus.

The district announced Friday that they will add Bus Patrol, a new automated enforcement program that detects the license plate of vehicles that illegally pass it. Several other school districts around southeastern Pennsylvania, including Norristown, Chichester, and Southeastern Delco have already implemented it.

"Adding Bus Patrol technology to our school buses will create a safer route for everystudent in the district," Dennis Ryan, North Penn's Coordinator of Transportation, said in a statement. "The program will act as a deterrent to violators who know they will be caught, and those who doviolate are less likely to do so again when they are hit with penalties."

In addition, cameras will cover the interior of the bus, which North Penn said will allow the administration to "respond quickly" in case of a behavioral incident. Footage will be available to both North Penn Transportation Office Staff and district administrators.

The program is available at no cost to the district and is approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Nearly eight thousand vehicles have illegally passed stopped school buses in Pennsylvania since the start of the 2022-23 school year, BusPatrol said.

BusPatrol says that in other states, the program has reduced school bus passings by up to 30 percent year over year. The penalty for a first time offense in Pennsylvania is $300.

North Penn's school board originally approved the use of the technology during their February action meeting.