Operation Safe Stop targets school bus safety in N.Y.

Transportation officials, police officers and other leaders in New York hold events to publicize the dangers of illegally passing stopped school buses.

Thomas McMahon・Executive Editor

April 17, 2015

Operation Safe Stop targets school bus safety in N.Y. — Brighton (N.Y.) Police Chief Mark Henderson speaks about the illegal passing of school buses at a NYAPT press conference in Rochester on Thursday.

2 min to read

School transportation officials, police chiefs and other leaders throughout New York held events on Thursday to promote school bus safety as part of Operation Safe Stop.

New York’s annual Operation Safe Stop informs the public of the dangers of illegally passing stopped school buses.

On Thursday, law enforcement agencies across the state targeted school bus routes that have a history of illegal passing complaints. Police officers rode on buses and in marked and unmarked patrol units to catch violators and issue tickets.

All violations were reported to a central command post so that the numbers could be made available to state and local officials and the media. Members of the media were also invited to ride along and cover Operation Safe Stop in their areas.

The New York Association for Pupil Transportation (NYAPT) held a press conference about illegal school bus passing at the East Irondequoit Central School District in Rochester on Thursday morning.

Gates Chili Central School District’s Safety Bus was on display at the NYAPT press conference.

School district, law enforcement and government officials were on hand to address “this serious and life-threatening problem,” NYAPT said in a press release.

NYAPT members held Operation Safe Stop events around the state, many with high-profile dignitaries participating. In the capital area, for example, a Safe Stop event drew a county executive, law enforcement officials and members of the New York State Legislature.

On average, NYAPT estimates that 50,000 vehicles illegally pass school buses each day in New York state. According to a recent sample completed by NYAPT on April 14, 422 school bus drivers reported 170 illegal passing incidents.

The breakdown of the total number of incidents recorded is:

Left side illegal passes during morning runs: 63
Left side illegal passes during afternoon runs: 103
Right side illegal passes during morning runs: 0
Right side illegal passes during afternoon runs: 4

Expanding that sample statewide, an estimated 20,142 illegal passes occurred on that date, setting the stage for Operation Safe Stop Day, said Peter Mannella, executive director of NYAPT.

Penalties for a first offense include a fine of $250 to $400, five points on the driver's license and possible imprisonment of up to 30 days. The penalties increase with subsequent offenses.

Topics:law enforcement New York stop-arm running/illegal passing Management Safety

More Safety

Graphic promoting Geotab’s new fleet investigation tool, featuring a screenshot of the MyGeotab platform showing an incident timeline, vehicle activity, and mapped route data.

Safety•by News/Media Release•September 1, 2026

Geotab Launches Tool to Help Fleets Investigate Road Incidents

Geotab Investigations combines telematics data, video, documents, and other evidence to help fleets reconstruct incidents, resolve claims, and determine what happened.

Cover of a Pro-Vision whitepaper titled “Doing More With Less: A Transportation Director’s Guide to Managing Safety Budget Uncertainty,” featuring school buses, a school transportation scene, and safety technology imagery.

Doing More With Less: How Transportation Directors Can Prioritize Safety Amid Budget Uncertainty

With diesel prices soaring and nearly one-third of transportation directors expecting budget cuts, maintaining student safety has never been more challenging. Download this guide to learn how leading districts are prioritizing risk, funding critical safety technology, and building stronger budget cases with data.