All 500 Chesapeake school buses will have stop

Sep 23, 2023

L. Todd Spencer/The Virginian-Pilot

Chesapeake city school buses will be equipped with stop-arm cameras, that will capture photos of vehicles that pass the bus while the stop-arm is extended. The cameras will be installed over the next few months. School officials hosted a media information session at the Chesapeake Central Library, where these photos were taken, Feb. 5, 2020.

L. Todd Spencer/The Virginian-Pilot

Chesapeake city school buses will be equipped with stop-arm cameras, that will capture photos of vehicles that pass the bus while the stop-arm is extended. The cameras will be installed over the next few months. School officials hosted a media information session at the Chesapeake Central Library, where these photos were taken, Feb. 5, 2020.

L. Todd Spencer/The Virginian-Pilot

Chesapeake city school buses will be equipped with stop-arm cameras and loading view cameras that will capture photos of vehicles that pass the bus while the stop-arm is extended. The cameras will be installed over the next few months. School officials hosted a media information session at the Chesapeake Central Library, where these photos were taken, Feb. 5, 2020.

L. Todd Spencer/The Virginian-Pilot

Chesapeake city school buses will be equipped with stop-arm cameras and loading view cameras that will capture photos if a vehicle passes the bus while the stop-arm is extended. The cameras will be installed over the next few months. School officials hosted a media information session at the Chesapeake Central Library, where these photos were taken, Feb. 5, 2020.

L. Todd Spencer/The Virginian-Pilot

Chesapeake city school buses will be equipped with stop-arm cameras, that will capture photos of vehicles that pass the bus while the stop-arm is extended. The cameras will be installed over the next few months. School officials hosted a media information session at the Chesapeake Central Library, where these photos were taken, Feb. 5, 2020.

The Chesapeake school division is installing 14 cameras on each of its 583 school buses starting this week. All will be in place by March 5.

And if you’re caught passing a stopped school bus, it’ll cost you $250.

In addition to the stop-arm cameras, side-load, interior and rearview cameras also will be installed. Interior cameras will be used by the division to monitor student safety and discipline.

Tickets will be issued to drivers who pass buses with stop-arms extended while students get on and off. A camera on the left side of the bus will capture photos of the front and rear of vehicles illegally passing.

Cars traveling in the opposite direction of a school bus must stop unless there is a curbed median between the lanes.

Chesapeake Police Chief Kelvin Wright did not know the number of citations the police department usually issues for the violation but said citizens regularly report the incidents.

"I think evidence has shown where schools have implemented these that violations go down extremely," he said. "I think most people know it's a violation."

The Lorton-based camera company BusPatrol will manage the ticket processing system. Under the five-year contract, 60% of each $250 citation will be paid to BusPatrol and the rest will go to Chesapeake Public Schools.

Wright said a ticket from a police officer can come with a $250 fine or a reckless driving citation, a Class 1 misdemeanor. The new system will only issue a civil fine, he said.

The issue is city-wide, but one particular area where cars often pass buses loading students in the morning is along Great Bridge Boulevard near Battlefield Boulevard.

"It can be quite frightening," Wright said.

Herbert Byrd, assistant director of student transportation for Chesapeake schools, said school officials receive consistent calls about cars passing the buses but there was no way to catch drivers unless someone wrote the license plate down.

Byrd said there have been some close calls with students almost getting hit by cars in the past, but no injuries have been reported. Introducing the cameras will help decrease that chance, he said.

"Since I’ve been in this career, I’ve never had to go to a parent's house and explain the reason why their student's not coming home," he said.

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Correction: A previous version of this article stated BusPatrol would get 40% of each citation. Its share will be 60%.

Briana Adhikusuma, 757-222-5349, [email protected]

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