Illegally passing school buses is about to get more expensive in Onondaga County

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — It's likely to get more expensive to illegally pass a stopped school bus in Onondaga County and more likely to get caught.

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"Bus drivers are very concerned because it does happen on a fairly regular basis," said East Syracuse Minoa Superintendent Donna DeSiato.

An ESM bus driver is credited with saving students' lives in 2022 when he extended his arm to block students from exiting the bus into the path of a speeding vehicle.

A kindergartener was similarly saved by a bus aide aboard a Fayetteville-Manlius school bus earlier this year.

Now, the Onondaga County Legislature is considering outfitting school buses at five of the largest districts with cameras that begin recording video of traffic once the yellow lights and extendable stop sign are deployed.

The county plans to partner with the company Verra Mobility, which will install the technology, monitor the video for illegally-passing drivers and issue fines to the drivers associated with the captured license plate numbers.

A vote by the county legislature will also adopt fines set by New York State: $250 for the first infraction, $275 for the second infraction and $300 for the third infraction.

The money collected from fines pays for the camera system, making it free to taxpayers of school districts and the overall county. Any profits can be reinvested in schools, said Legislator Mark Olson.

With the initial vote by the end of the year, the districts included are North Syracuse, Liverpool, Baldwinsville, East Syracuse Minoa and Jamesville-DeWitt. Eventually, Legislator Olson hopes the equipment is used by school buses county-wide.

"I think this will be a unanimous vote because it's about our children and the safety of our children," said Olson.

The bill, sponsored by Olson, will be addressed at the Onondaga County Legislature Ways and Means Committee Meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 19.