Gov. Wolf Signs Safety Bill Extending School Bus Stop-Arm Camera Program

HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf this week signed into law legislation allowing for a two-year extension of a program allowing school districts to enter into contracts with private companies to install special cameras on school bus stop-arms designed to catch those who illegally pass a bus that is stopped while picking up or dropping off students.

The governor's office announced Wednesday that Wolf had signed Senate Bill 859, which extends the temporary regulations involving cameras on school bus fold-out stop signs.

A move to improve Pennsylvania's School Bus Passing Law came about following years of complaints from bus drivers on the difficulty in trying to quickly collect pertinent detailed information about vehicles that ignore the fold-out stop sign arms on school buses.

Legislators ultimately worked on legislation allowing for cameras on the school bus stop signs that would make it easier to identify those who flout the school bus stopping law.

Wolf's signing of the law came about during National Bus Safety Week, which is held the third week of October, and designed to raise awareness of the importance surrounding school bus safety.

Pennsylvania senators had passed Senate Bill 859 in late September by a 49-0 vote, according to the legislative record on the measure. One senator did not vote.

The Phoenixville Patch reported in September on the Phoenixville Area School District being the first district in Chester County to equip school buses with cameras under the program.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, at least 23 states across the country have laws on the books allowing for the installation of school bus stop-arm cameras to catch violating motorists. This includes Pennsylvania, which originally passed its camera law back in 2018.

The NCSL says that under Pennsylvania's law, violators face a $250 fine plus a $35 surcharge that must be deposited in a school bus safety grant program account. It further states that Pennsylvania's law allows for outside vendors to contract with school districts for the installation of the cameras, and also that buses are not required to have warning signs letting drivers know a camera is present.