Maryland-based Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) has teamed up with BusPatrol Inc. to launch a school bus safety program that includes the addition of stop-arm cameras and other technology to the district's buses.

As part of the program, a total of 1,216 of the district’s buses have been outfitted with stop-arm and cloud-connected interior cameras, in addition to student tracking and management tools such as GPS, RFID-enabled ridership cards, and tablets for contact tracing procedures, according to a news release from BusPatrol. The new technology was reportedly installed at no cost to the district or taxpayers and will be funded by fines received from stop-arm violations over a five-year term.

“As operators of one of the largest school bus fleets in the nation, we are constantly exploring new ways to ensure safe and dependable student transportation,” said Dr. Monica Goldson, CEO of PGCPS. “The new stop-arm cameras that will capture video of traffic violations are just one way we are leveraging technology to improve student safety both on and off of school buses.”

Other Maryland school districts that have adopted BusPatrol’s safety technology include Queen Anne’s County Public Schools, Carroll County Public Schools, and Montgomery County Public Schools. In total, more than 3,500 Maryland school buses now have access to the technology, protecting an estimated 175,000 students, according to BusPatrol.

“School buses have been off roads for several weeks and drivers may have forgotten the importance of school bus safety laws,” said Jean Souliere, CEO and founder of BusPatrol. “Our program is proven to change driver behavior, and 95% of drivers that are ticketed for passing a school bus never receive a second ticket.”