Mayor John Vieau (left), CPS Superintendent Marcus Ware (middle) and Chicopee Interim Police Chief Eric Watson announce a new technology that aims to stop drivers from illegally passing school buses during a Feb. 25 press conference at Chicopee Comprehensive High School.
Reminder Publishing photo by Ryan Feyre
CHICOPEE — Starting April 1, any vehicle that fails to stop for a bus in Chicopee will be caught on camera and later fined a minimum of $250.
One year after Gov. Maura Healey signed into law a bill that allows video monitoring for school bus safety enforcement, the city of Chicopee says it is the first in the commonwealth to take advantage of the program.
“We’re launching a new school bus stop arm safety program to better protect the students and families here in Chicopee,” Mayor John Vieau said at a Feb. 25 press conference introducing the new technology. “School buses in Chicopee will now be equipped with school bus violation detection monitoring systems. So, when that [stop sign] bar pops out, and a vehicle passes it, that person will be receiving a ticket.”
The city, along with various community leaders, officially announced the signing of a contract with BusPatrol, the North American school bus safety program that partners with school districts, municipalities, and law enforcement to “reduce illegal stop-arm violations and protect students on their journeys to and from school.”
According to its website, the program uses AI-powered stop-arm and fleet safety technology to catch people who aren’t stopping for school buses.
Although Chicopee says they are the first in the state to officially utilize BusPatrol’s technology for this program following Healey’s bill, this is not the first time BusPatrol has worked with municipalities in Massachusetts.
During the 2024-25 school year, the organization partnered with Peabody and Salem on a pilot program where 18 buses were equipped to capture data on how many vehicles were unlawfully passing stopped buses.
In just the first six weeks of the school year, around 1,800 vehicles failed to stop for school buses between the two cities, which means there were an average of three illegal passes per day during that time period.
“That’s scary, Vieau said in response to the numbers. “Each illegal passing represents a moment where a child’s life is needlessly put at risk, and we can’t ignore that here.”
According to people with BusPatrol, when a vehicle illegally passes a stopped bus, cameras on front, side and back of the bus will capture the plate and vehicle. Once that happens, BusPatrol will process that information and get it to the Police Department so the proper citation can be issued.
The technology never captures people’s faces, and only the person whose name is registered under the vehicle will receive the citation, according to BusPatrol. News outlets witnessed a demonstration of the camera’s capabilities during the Feb. 25 press conference.
“As superintendent, there are many responsibilities that come with leading the school district,” said Chicopee Public Schools Superintendent Marcus Ware. “Academic achievement, staffing, budgets, facilities, but none of them carry more weight than the safety of our children.”
During the press conference, which was held at Chicopee Comprehensive High School, Ware emphasized the importance of the new technology.
“This technology is not about punishment. It’s about prevention,” Ware said. “It’s about accountability. And it’s more importantly about protection. By adding this layer of safety, we are sending a clear message. When that red stop sign is extended, our children are crossing.”
According to BusPatrol, the cameras are only triggered when the stop sign arm is extended on the bus. Vieau said a “warning period” will begin on March 3 so Chicopee residents can get acquainted with the new program. Enforcement will officially begin on April 1.
He also said that the program is fully violator-funded, which means that it is coming at no cost to the taxpayers or the school district, and that the full 74-bus fleet will have the cameras by summer. As of right now, cameras have been implemented on 10 of the city’s school buses.
Violators of the bus stop arm safety program will have to pay a minimum of $250 for a first offense, according to Massachusetts state law. Before these cameras existed, Vieau said the only way people could get caught illegally driving past a bus is if police officers caught them in real time.
As of right now, the new program is not associated with Chicopee’s Real Time Information Center, according to Vieau.
“This program is about changing behavior, raising awareness and sending a clear message,” Vieau said. “In Chicopee, you know what we do? We stop for our school buses every single time.”
