School buses now issue $300 tickets.
Dear Neighbor,
I was recently caught off-guard by something every driver should know about. Pittsburgh school buses now have video cameras. These cameras record any movement from the time the bus’s safety lights are activated, even before the stop-arm is extended. If you aren’t watching carefully, you can be in violation.
If a violation occurs, a $300 citation will be mailed to the vehicle owner regardless of who is driving. This citation is a civil fine. It does not add points on your license or directly affect your auto insurance.
The citation shows pictures of your vehicle (see attached scan) and a link to the Alertbus.com website where you can access the pictures and video of your vehicle and an opportunity to pay the fine by credit card. A prominent local attorney confirmed the law that allows these citations to be issued, 75 Pa. C.S. Section 3345.1(c)(4).
If the citation is not paid, you will be sent for collection, which can severely affect your credit score and increase your insurance premiums. To contest liability, follow the instructions on the citation and you will be notified of your hearing details. There is a non-refundable $90 court fee for this hearing.
I am all for improved school bus safety, but I don’t think enough has been done to alert the public about this new system, including marking all buses with the words “Video Monitored” prominently displayed on every bus.
WPXI has done multiple reports on the complaints they’ve received about this system. One report stated that $858,559 in revenue had been collected in the first six months of using these school bus camera tickets. The majority of that money goes to BusPatrol, the company that provides the AlertBus cameras and processes citations.
This is a link to the notice from Pittsburgh Public Schools about the program:
www.pghschools.org/departments/transportation/bus-patrol