The Upper Darby School District School Bus Safety Program combines education with enforcement to change motorist behavior and create a culture of awareness and responsibility around school buses.

Program Overview: How It Works

When a vehicle illegally passes a school bus with its red lights flashing, and stop-arm activated, a multi-lens camera box on the side of the bus captures the violation and the car's license plate from different depths and angles. The footage, GPS, and timecode data are stored locally on an onboard digital video recorder (DVR) unique to each bus. 

The incident data is sent via an encrypted LTE network to a secure cloud system, where it is filtered by artificial intelligence (AI) software before being reviewed by a trained safety specialist.

If the specialist determines the violation is an offense, the specialist prepares an evidence package for law enforcement. The package is built in accordance with State law, complete with video footage, license plate number, make, model, vehicle owner information, GPS location, and a timestamp of the incident. 

The evidence package is sent to law enforcement partners via a secure cloud portal. Law enforcement officers review the evidence package to approve. If approved, a notice of violation is mailed to the vehicle's owner, who is legally responsible for the violation per the law. The notice is issued with a link to the AlertBus Driver Education & Payment Portal. The vehicle owner can make a payment online, through the mail, or in person at a designated location within the jurisdiction. Notices of violation can also be contested through the relevant jurisdiction's civil court system.

The diagram above represents the camera systems used in the district.

In addition to stop-arm enforcement cameras, the [district] fleet is now fully equipped with additional features to improve safety for students and drivers. 

This includes:

• 360° safety cameras inside and outside the bus 

• GPS tracking

• Emergency response solutions