BusPatrol has expanded into New England with two new partnerships in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Providence, Rhode Island this back-to-school season, the company announced on Sept. 10.

The enhanced school bus safety measures will fit all 248 buses in the Bridgeport Public Schools' fleet with the company's safety technology. They're calling it the largest school bus safety program in Connecticut history. The announcement follows a pilot program in Bridgeport that detected nearly 10,000 illegal passings in just six months.

In Providence, the city recently became the first in its state to launch the safety program across the Providence Public School District’s (PPSD) fleet of 140 buses owned by First Student. The program started with a 30-day warning and education period at the beginning of the school year before it officially begins enforcement in October.

“Our commitment to student safety drives everything we do,” said PPSD Superintendent Javier Montañez. “By implementing this advanced technology, we are taking a significant step to protect our children and promote safer driving behaviors in our community.”

Justin Meyers, president and chief innovation officer at BusPatrol, said: “BusPatrol is partnering with cities across New England to enhance the safety of every child that steps onboard a school bus. No matter their ZIP code, BusPatrol is proud to provide equitable safety solutions in the communities we serve, and we look forward to extending our full-fleet partnership into Connecticut and Rhode Island during this back-to-school period.”

The expansion into Connecticut and Rhode Island reflects a larger trend of states and school districts increasingly leveraging AI technology to enhance road safety. BusPatrol’s safety program is now used on over 30,000 buses across 16 states.