Pittsfield Schools Consider Enhanced Bus Surveillance
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The Pittsfield Public Schools are considering a couple of companies for enhanced bus safety surveillance after a spring pilot.
Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Bonnie Howland reported that they have met with BusPatrol and Gatekeeper Systems, which offer automated stop-arm enforcement and video surveillance.
It is illegal for drivers to pass a school bus when the red warning lights are flashing, and the stop-sign arm is extended. This protects children exiting and entering the school bus.
A stop-arm camera pilot program was conducted in May.
"We currently have a four-camera system on the interior of the bus, so Gatekeeper is sort of better as far as functionality. It's a little more of an upfront investment," Howland told the School Committee last week.
"BusPatrol works where you basically have an installation of the cameras, and then as tickets are issued to people, you sort of regain your investment, so it's two different sort of cost profiles."
Gatekeeper would cost about $100,000 to purchase, while BusPatrol has no upfront cost and a monthly charge.
PPS is interested in putting cameras in all of its buses, about 30. Howland said that Gatekeeper has a little more robust system that fits into our current system, and Mayor Peter Marchetti reported that the company with no upfront cost helps secure a grant for implementation: $1,200 per camera and $250 a month per bus.
"If we choose one of the companies, there will be a grant to help do that. If we choose the other company, there's not," the mayor said.
The spring pilot was a partnership between PPS and other city departments. In the next couple of meetings, the administration will present outcomes to the committee, such as how many tickets were generated during the pilot.
The conversation was tabled until Oct. 28.
"The first agenda item is often just a discussion of do you want us to bring it back? We're happy to bring that information together. We may bring three departments together to present to you," Superintendent Latifah Phillips said.
For Gatekeeper, costs are recouped through tickets for traffic violations. It is unknown how long it would take to generate $100,000 in traffic violations.
Officials clarified that this system is not to raise funds, but to ensure that students get to and from school safely and people follow the law.
"Some of the discussion is whether the stop arms can pay for themselves. The goal is not to raise funding. The goal is to increase safety, but by generating, I guess maybe tickets from violating bus safety, we're able to provide bus safety," Phillips said.
"So the hope is to not have to have stop arms and stop arm cameras, but unfortunately, we're finding that the bus stop safety is being violated by drivers."
Howland said it isn't about making money at all, but how fast PPS can recoup the $100,000 if outlaid, "Because the budget, as you know, is tight."
"I actually have a feeling that we would recoup the money, and hopefully by then, people would start to abide by the law and stop for the buses, so you wouldn't actually see revenue from it," she added.
"It would just be that period of recouping the funds, and hopefully you would get enough to recoup, you know, that investment and make it safer."
Pittsfeld has to weigh it out, she explained: is it worth the investment to give bus operations a 360-degree view on top of what they have, or another system that won't connect to the current one?
Tags: school buses,
