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A Rising Chorus Of Critics Say BusPatrol Program Needs Review
By Tina Traster
In school we learn our ABCs, but we’re also taught math. So let’s do the math.
In a breakdown of ticketing in 2024, data for the BusPatrol safety program, which provides technology to equip school buses with cameras that snag motorists accused of passing stopped school buses, shows only 66 percent of the 24,036 citations issued were paid. Nearly one third, or 8,122 of the tickets, were not paid. However, nearly 90 percent of tickets that were contested were dismissed in local justice courts.
The data is based on a mandated report BusPatrol filed with the New York State Assembly in the spring of 2025. The numbers reveal, along with scores of anecdotes RCBJ has collected, that the BusPatrol program raises serious questions about its efficacy, integrity and fairness. The program run by BusPatrol, a private company based in Lorton, Virginia, is under scrutiny in Pennsylvania, Long Island, and Florida.
Many people who are ticketed do not know that they have the right to contest the citation, nor are they aware that BusPatrol includes a link to video and photos of the alleged offense in the ticket. Notably, the tickets are not multilingual in Rockland County, which has a large populations of Hispanics, Haitians, and Orthodox Jews who speak most speak Yiddish.
In 2024, 134 tickets were contested, and 115 of those were dismissed — 86 percent. What’s more troubling is that 1,727 contested citations were still waiting to be heard. This leaves motorists in a state of limbo for $250 tickets ($275 for a second offense and $300 for a third offense).
Elected leaders and local news reports have been shedding light on the system that BusPatrol LLC installs and profits from, citing unreliable ticketing due to technology limitations and human error, long delays in setting hearings for those who contest tickets, ticketing on four- to six-lane roads that make stopping for buses difficult and often dangerous, and punitively high fines often adversely affecting low-income residents. Some local leaders in Rockland County who spoke off the record say they are concerned with the program.
On Jan. 13, Pennsylvania State Senator Jarrett Coleman (R-Bucks/Lehigh), held a telephone town hall, inviting residents of Bucks County and Lehigh Valley to call in to discuss the program after local news reports in LehighValleyNews shed light on the problems. Callers conveyed their distress about being ticketed, long waits for hearings, and the prevalence of certain “hot spots,” where many tickets are being issued. Coleman said he would review the legislation that led to the creation of the program.
In 2023, Rockland County partnered with BusPatrol, a private company based in Lorton, Virginia, to equip school buses countywide with stop-arm cameras. The bulk of the collected revenue — 55 percent — goes to BusPatrol, with 45 percent to the county. The county covers costs incurred by the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office to review thousands of videos submitted to decide which ones to charge and to the County Attorney’s Office to cover hearings when drivers contest liability. Neither the county nor the Sheriff’s office responded to requests for the breakdown of fees. Every school district in Rockland County is participating in the program but they do not get any share of the revenue from the citations.
As of yearend 2024, stop-arm cameras were installed on 1,109 buses.
The data submitted by BusPatrol also shows a disproportionate number of tickets are concentrated at particular locations that have other endemic problems including higher speed limits and poor signage. The top 20 locations where citations were issued, based on data provided by BusPatrol to New York State, account for more than 3,000 citations, with more than 1,200 citations issued along Route 304 in New City. Other hot spots include locations along Route 59 in Nyack and Spring Valley, and in and around the busy business districts in Nanuet. Critics of the program say the county must revisit the BusPatrol program because the locations are effectively “traps” for motorists. In addition, asking motorists to stop abruptly on fast-moving roads creates its own danger. Critics say the county should consider re-routing bus drop offs to side streets to ensure student safety.
While keeping students safe is an obvious priority, many are questioning whether the program is truly justified. The steep cost of the tickets come at a time when many are struggling financially.
While exact yearly figures vary, recent data shows there are 2-3 student fatalities annually nationwide caused by vehicles illegally passing stopped school buses, according to the USDOT and state surveys, though total school bus-related deaths (including bus occupants) average over 100 yearly, with most coming from other vehicles or types of crashes. From 2000-2023, there were 61 fatalities nationwide from drivers illegally passing stopped school buses, averaging 2.5 deaths per year, with nearly half being children 18 and younger, according to Traffic Safety Marketing, based on data from the NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis, an arm of the United States Department of Transportation.
In 2023, Rockland County partnered with BusPatrol to equip school buses countywide with stop-arm cameras. According to a county spokesperson, the bulk of the collected revenue — 55 percent — goes to BusPatrol, with 45 percent to the county. But a review of the report sent to New York State paints a different picture.
BusPatrol reported that $3,073,000 was collected from paid tickets in 2024, and $1,996,218 was “distributed” to the county. From the $1.9 million, fees for “technology and administration” ate up $1,009,930, netting the county $986,288 or about 32 percent of the collected revenue from the citations. BusPatrol is charging Rockland County roughly $100,000 per month for technology and administration fees.
Although the county netted about $1 million from those funds, it must pay the costs for the county sheriff’s time to review tens of thousands of videos sent by BusPatrol. Sheriff’s Office deputies determine whether the law was violated by reviewing the videos. There is also attorney time to prepare for and attend contested hearings.
RCBJ reached out to BusPatrol for clarification on the data multiple times but has not received a response. The county has refused to provide RCBJ with a copy of its contract with BusPatrol.
The data come from the most recent published report provided to the New York Assembly in 2025. RCBJ has sought additional data from both Rockland County, Rockland County Sheriff’s Office, and BusPatrol, but none have provided any updated information. Information sought from the County awaits a FOIL response. The sheriff’s office did not respond to RCBJ’s FOIL request.
County Executive Ed Day defended the program in a series of press releases: “This program is doing exactly what it was designed to do — save children’s lives by changing behavior.”
