Austin, Texas—Austin ISD has recorded an average of 60 violations of motorists improperly passing school buses each day since launching its bus stop-arm camera pilot program with 30 of the district’s more than 500 buses.

What: Kris Hafezizadeh, transportation director, and Eric Mendez, AISD’s police chief, will demonstrate how the district’s bus stop-arm cameras operate, provide an update about the violations recorded to date and offer bus safety reminders for Austin drivers.

When: 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 30.

Where: Southeast Bus Terminal, 7200 Bluff Springs Road.

Background: AISD launched the bus stop-arm camera pilot program with three vendors who are monitoring cameras on 10 buses at each of the district’s three terminals April 28. Since then, the vendors have provided weekly reports that indicate there is an average of two violations per each of the 30 buses per day, which totals an average of 60 violations each day.

The pilot program is part of the first phase of the request for proposals to ensure the district receives quality data about the number of motorists passing AISD’s school buses while their loading lights are flashing. The district plans to extend the pilot program through the start of the school year and into the fall semester. After the first phase is completed, AISD will review the data to determine whether the district will request the City of Austin to pass an ordinance to issue citations for motorists who pass AISD school buses while their loading lights are flashing.