Every day 2.3 million children are transported by school buses throughout New York State. Data has shown that on a single school day, an estimated 50,000 drivers throughout the State illegally pass stopped school buses.*

In New York, a one-month study of 10 buses in East Meadow was conducted in 2019. Cameras recorded 615 illegal Stop-Arm passes, or roughly 2.3 per bus, per day. This represents three times more than the number of tickets given out by Nassau & Suffolk counties during the entire 2018-2019 school year.

School districts in Albany County can choose to opt in to the Albany County School Bus Safety Program. Through the program, every bus in the participating school district’s fleet will be outfitted with the 360° Student Safety Platform. This includes stop-arm cameras, DVR and storage devices, GPS, telemetry, and LTE connectivity.

Stop-arm cameras identify illegal passers by license plate number. Tickets are issued to a vehicle’s registered owner unless the automobile is proven stolen during the time of the offense. If someone other than the vehicle’s owner was driving at the time, the owner can request a transfer of liability.

In most states, a first-time stop-arm violation carries a fine of $250. In New York state, subsequent violations within an eighteen-month period are subject to a $25 increase in penalty, up to a maximum of $300.

In addition to the financial deterrent, violators learn about the potential dangers of their actions. Offenders can call the program's toll-free number and speak with a representative, who can review the video evidence with them and help them understand the dangers of illegal passing. Services are offered in both English and Spanish.

Data from other safety programs demonstrates that 94% of first-time offenders do not receive a second ticket, and that 95% of drivers do not contest their ticket after seeing video evidence of their violation.

When a school bus stops and flashes its red lights, traffic approaching from either direction must stop before reaching the bus:

• on a two-lane road
• on multi-lane highways
• on divided highways

Yellow flashing lights mean the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. Slow down and prepare to stop your vehicle.

Red flashing lights mean the bus has stopped and children are getting on or off. Stop your vehicle and wait until the school bus resumes motion or until signaled by the driver or police officer to proceed.

Learn more at New York DMV

The following information is provided for assistance:

To speak to a representative about a stop-arm violation contact, the Alertbus Customer Contact Center at 1-877-504-7080.

The Contact Center is available Monday to Friday (8 AM – 5 PM). English, Spanish and French speaking customer service agents are available to address your inquiries. To expedite our service to you, please have your Citation Number ready when you call.

To view the violation video evidence online or to pay a violation by credit card, visit www.alertbus.com and enter the following information: Your citation number (example: NY-777777), and vehicle license plate number (no dashes or spaces), as listed on your citation.

All payments must be sent to the above listed payment center.

The County does not accept payments at any location.