BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo's stop-arm camera program has issued more than 52,000 tickets to drivers for illegally passing stopped school buses since launching 16 months ago, generating millions in revenue but sparking concerns about fairness and accuracy.
The program, operated by Bus Patrol, has collected more than $8 million since October 2024, with each violation carrying a $250 fine. Forty percent of the revenue — more than $3 million so far — goes to the city's general fund.
While supporters praise the cameras as an important safety measure, some drivers question how tickets are being issued.
Jenna Edwards, a North Buffalo mother who advocates for the cameras, was surprised when she received a ticket for passing a stopped bus on Main Street in May. Edwards said the video evidence she was given showed she had already passed the bus when the red lights activated.
"As a parent of two, this is not something I would ever consciously do," Edwards said. "It's very clear that I had already passed the bus — was nearly past the bus — when they turned on their red lights, when they turned on their signal and put out the stop sign. I never saw yellow lights."
Edwards contested her ticket and is still waiting for a court date.
She also witnessed what she described as concerning behavior another time: a school bus driver waving for traffic to proceed around the bus while the stop arm was extended and cameras were recording.
"They had their lights on, stop sign out, yellow safety pole was extended," Edwards said. "The driver was sticking her head and hand out the window trying to wave traffic along."
Ryan Monell from Bus Patrol acknowledged that human error is always possible but said such issues are rare. Each bus has between five and eight cameras to capture different angles of potential violations.
"The idea is to make sure we can have a really robust understanding of if a violation occurs by having different angles available," Monell said.
Bus Patrol operates the camera program and reviews each incident three times before the city conducts its own review and issues a ticket. Drivers who receive tickets can contest them.
Of the more than 52,000 tickets issued, only about 7% - 9% have been contested, according to Bus Patrol and the City of Buffalo. Additionally, 87% of violators have never received a second ticket.
"What we've seen in the last 18 months since the program was launched was really a huge decrease in violations," Monell explained.
Edwards said she hopes to address the issues she's observed when her court date arrives.
"Let's find a better way," Edwards said. "Let's keep it but let's find a better way. We have to figure out how to make this not a problem for everybody."
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