Indiana District Adds School Bus Stop-Arm Cameras

An Indiana school district is receiving an upgrade to its fleet of approximately 128 school buses.

Noblesville Schools has partnered with video and data solutions provider Gatekeeper Systems Inc. to install stop-arm cameras under the company’s Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solution, according to a news release from the company. The school district reportedly pursued the project in an effort to reduce stop-arm violations and increase safety for its riders.

According to a case study released by Gatekeeper, Noblesville Schools tested three different systems before settling on Gatekeeper's SP25 Stop Arm Camera System, in which infrared technology captures tag numbers from as far away as four lanes. The district first installed the system on routes that saw the most infractions, and after seeing an immediate impact, they now plan to add it to all their buses. The local police department has been supportive too, and reported that violations have moved through to citations.

Noblesville Schools had previously installed mobile data collectors and interior high-definition video surveillance systems on its buses.

“Buses are the safest way for students to get to and from school. The unfortunate part is, the danger is getting on and off,” Brian Zachery, Noblesville Schools transportation director, said in the news release from Gatekeeper. “We worked together with police officers and Gatekeeper over the past year to conduct trials, which were very successful. Our intent is that every school bus will be fully equipped with video inside and outside the bus to offer the best protection for schoolchildren.”

Gatekeeper's PaaS solution works by using mobile data collectors that record and analyze video, audio, GPS location, and data on the school bus, which becomes the on-board intelligence platform for applications including passenger counting, contact tracing, and more. The company has installed more than 34,000 intelligent mobile data collectors and 100,000 video devices on school buses, for over 3,500 school district customers.