Illustration of a yellow school bus with its red stop arm extended on a city street, representing the Boston school bus cameras program.

Boston School Bus Cameras: City Seeks Stop-Arm Vendor

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Boston is moving to put Boston school bus cameras on the road. The city and Boston Public Schools (BPS) announced on Thursday, Oct. 8, that they are seeking a vendor to run an “AI-enabled stop-arm camera school bus safety program” that would catch drivers who illegally pass a school bus while its stop sign is extended, according to the city’s bid listing and reporting by The Boston Globe.

What the Stop-Arm Camera RFP Asks For

The request for proposals, numbered EV00018035, was issued by the BPS Transportation Department and posted on Oct. 5. Proposals are due before 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, through the city’s supplier portal, according to the listing. The selected company would install and operate the camera system, the city said.

The city will hold a virtual information session for potential bidders on Oct. 19 at 11 a.m., Boston 25 News reported.

A 25-Bus Pilot With Warnings First

The program would start with a three-month pilot on 25 school buses. During that period the city plans to collect baseline data, run a public awareness effort and send warning letters rather than fines, officials said. After the pilot, the program would expand to more buses and begin issuing citations, according to Boston 25 News.

Revenue from fines would pay for the program. The RFP describes a “violator-funded, cost-neutral” system, the Globe reported. Officials have not said how much each violation would cost drivers or what the total program would cost.

How State Law Opened the Door

Massachusetts law already requires drivers to stop for a school bus with its stop sign out, but enforcement has been difficult, the Globe reported. The Legislature passed a law last year allowing cities, towns and school districts to use camera enforcement on school buses. Boston did not opt in right away. Pittsfield and Chicopee are among the communities that already use such systems, according to the Globe.

“Drivers who ignore safety laws and put our kids at risk must be held accountable,” Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement. She called the new legislation “a good first step” and said the city would keep pushing for tools to reduce unsafe driving.

BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper said in a statement that the program “will provide an additional tool to deter dangerous behavior and strengthen accountability.”

Bus Safety Concerns in Boston

The announcement follows safety concerns raised by BPS families about the district’s transportation system. Last year, a 5-year-old was struck and killed by a school bus in Hyde Park after getting off the bus, and last December an 8-year-old boy was seriously injured by a bus outside the Curley K-8 Lower School in Jamaica Plain, the Globe reported. That child’s family has sued the district’s transportation contractor, Transdev, alleging gross negligence.

The camera plan comes as BPS also reports on bus performance; earlier this month the district said Boston school buses reached 80% on-time arrivals. Camera enforcement is also spreading on city streets, where the MBTA began bus lane camera enforcement on the Silver Line on Oct. 1. For more on BPS administration, see our report on the BPS MBTA ad campaign that was pulled days after launch.

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