BETHLEHEM, Pa. — State Sen. Jarrett Coleman said he is "deeply concerned" about the integrity of the automated school bus enforcement systems operated by BusPatrol, after observing ticket reviews at a local police department this month.
Coleman, R-Lehigh/Bucks, said he met with BusPatrol representatives on Feb. 6, then visited a local police department later that day to watch officers evaluate violations generated by the company’s camera system.
While declining to identify the department, he said what he observed raised serious red flags.
“In my time there, nearly half the violations should never have been issued in the first place,” Coleman said.
“So the idea that there’s no bad tickets is absolutely false. I’ve seen multiple bad tickets. It’s blatantly false.”
Coleman said that in his opinion, the volume of invalid violations he observed makes it implausible that all recorded incidents are being thoroughly screened by qualified personnel before reaching law enforcement for a final determination.
Based on what he witnessed alongside police, he said the high number of flawed citations suggests the review process is failing to reliably distinguish legitimate violations from those that should never result in a ticket to motorists.
As a result, Coleman said, the volume of errors makes him uncomfortable with the company continuing to operate without changes.
“There are some big problems with the current system that makes me uncomfortable for them to continue operating until that’s addressed,” he said.
In the Lehigh Valley, at least nine school districts — including Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton — contract with BusPatrol for school bus stop camera enforcement.
In Allentown alone, police approved nearly 8,600 citations from September 2024 to October 2025, or 96% of all alleged violations they reviewed.
Concerns over amber lights and stop-arm timing
One of Coleman’s primary concerns centers on compliance with Pennsylvania law governing when a school bus may deploy its stop arm.
State law requires bus drivers to activate their amber (yellow) warning lights not more than 300 feet nor less than 150 feet when stopping to load or unload children.
Motorists meeting the bus must slow down, be prepared to stop, and must stop at least 10 feet away from a bus with red lights flashing and the stop arm extended, whether approaching from the front or the rear.
“In almost all of the videos I saw, the ambers were not on for 150 feet, which is a simple fix that BusPatrol could make,” Coleman said.
He emphasized it’s imperative for drivers approaching the bus from any direction to have time to stop safely.
“How many situations are there where motorists are having to make that choice — stop the car to avoid passing the bus, or you get rear-ended?” Coleman said.
He said BusPatrol has the technological tools to ensure compliance from bus drivers — including GPS data, speed tracking and video timestamps — that would meet the distance of the required state law and give oncoming traffic time to stop safely.
“They have a GPS," Coleman said. "Obviously they know the speed of the bus, as well, so they could make sure the trigger for the recording is the amber light being turned on.”
Coleman said that way, the video would capture the full violation from start to finish, making it easier for officers to determine whether the incident should result in a fine.
“With the GPS data they have the ability to measure the distance from when the ambers came on until the stop arm came out," he said.
"And that could ensure that part of the law is followed."
Coleman also said some tickets appeared to be issued even when buses had not fully stopped before deploying their stop arms.
“At the end of the day, with a compliant bus driver following the law, it wouldn’t be a problem,” he said. "But BusPatrol has the tools, and their system is generating the tickets.
"They should have to use the technology to ensure the bus is in motion, the ambers have been on for a sufficient amount of time and the bus is completely stopped before the stop arm deploys.
“I also saw a number of citations thrown out because the bus wasn’t even moving. You can’t deploy that stop arm with a bus parked on the side of the road. That’s not fair to passing motorists.”
Appeal tickets, Coleman advises
Given his concerns, Coleman said drivers who receive the citations should continue to appeal them.
“In the meantime, you absolutely need to appeal the ticket,” he said. “It would be improper to not tell people to immediately appeal the ticket. These people on these appeals need to be heard.”
He also said the citations should be reviewed by district judges, rather than PennDOT hearing officers, because of extreme delays in drivers getting a hearing.
Some vehicle owners have waited more than a year to actually get an appeal hearing, while the state Department of Transportation, which oversees the process, has continually expanded its staff to help address the ever-growing caseload.
“It’s a traffic citation, it should be heard in court,” Coleman said. “Right now the system is not working.
"If PennDOT can’t fix this and get this under control within six months we need to have an alternative plan and send these citations back to court rather than keeping this in PennDOT’s hands.
“These people on these appeals need to be heard.”
State Sen. Lisa Boscola, D–Lehigh/Northampton, introduced legislation in October aimed at reforming the school bus enforcement law.
Senate Bill 1046 would establish a tiered fine structure and require PennDOT to schedule appeal hearings within 30 days.
The bill was referred to the Senate Transportation Committee on Oct. 21, where it has seen no further action.
Coleman said that, in theory, changes to the way the system operates would result in fewer violations than its currently producing, making for a much more manageable caseload for district judges.
From 2020-24, more than 22,500 Pennsylvania drivers were cited for school zone violations, according to the Pennsylvania Courts.
That included 7,582 citations for overtaking or passing a school bus, while the other citations were for speeding in a school zone.
The major difference in the court data was that all citations were written by police officers, making them criminal violations heard in court.
Violations triggered by school bus cameras are considered civil violations, and appeals currently are heard by PennDOT officers.
Criminal summary offenses includes severe penalties such as a $250 fine plus a $35 surcharge, five points on your driving record, and a mandatory 60-day driver’s license suspension.
A civil violation results in a $300 fine, with no points or loss of license.
In a statement, BusPatrol spokesperson Kate Spree said Pennsylvania law places responsibility for determining whether a violation occurred with school districts and local law enforcement, while PennDOT independently adjudicates each case.
“Pennsylvania law assigns clear enforcement responsibilities to school districts and local law enforcement to determine if a violation exists, and PennDOT is tasked with independently adjudicating each case on the merits,” Spree said.
“As the nation’s leading provider of life saving child safety systems for school buses, we are always willing to work with policymakers and community stakeholders to further support community-focused student safety programs that uphold due process for all parties.”
Calls for changes — without changing the law
Coleman emphasized that he believes BusPatrol can address many of the problems without legislative action and said there are plans to schedule a follow-up meeting with their technology team.
“I’m hopeful BusPatrol will continue to engage,” he said. “Getting the system a higher level of integrity does not require any legislation.”
He said BusPatrol has indicated a forthcoming software upgrade that would display how many seconds amber lights are active — data that could be used to calculate distance traveled and ensure legal compliance.
“If they can see time, rate times time equals distance,” Coleman said. “They have the tech to be able to make the program ensure it issues only tickets that should be issued.”
Coleman said he has asked BusPatrol to schedule a follow-up meeting with its technical team to review how artificial intelligence is being used in the system. He said the company did not appear unwilling to make changes.
“They have a lot of great technology, but the system is not working the way it should,” he said.
90-day timeline
Coleman said BusPatrol has roughly 90 days to communicate whether it is willing to make changes to improve the system’s integrity and how long those changes would take.
“If after that time they say yes, we have to find out how long it’ll take to make those changes,” he said. “If not, we may have to define the new standard legislatively.”
Coleman also questioned why school districts appear to rely primarily on enforcement rather than adjusting bus routes or stop locations, particularly in areas with high volumes of citations.
“Why have the districts not attempted to change the bus stops?” he said.
“If the underlying thing is student safety, why would you not try to move the bus stop or alter the route where so many of these violations are taking place? That just seems to be common sense.”
He said enforcement should not feel like a trap for drivers.
“The law should not be intended as a gotcha,” Coleman said. “That requires BusPatrol and these districts working together.
"But my message to BusPatrol remains simple: Don’t just be a leader in issuing tickets. Be a leader in finding a solution.”
