Illegally Passing a Stopped School BusEmpty heading

The Allentown School District partners with Student Transportation of America (STA) for all Transportation related services. All 138 STA school buses that transport Allentown School District students are equipped with safety technology, including stop-arm enforcement cameras. Cameras on the side of STA school buses help capture violation events and vehicle license plate numbers.

The violation is reviewed by law enforcement. Once approved, a notice of violation is sent to the registered vehicle owner by mail.

In Pennsylvania, each violation recorded by a side stop signal arm enforcement system under 75 Pa.C.S. § 3345.1 carries a $300 civil penalty and no points. They are not recorded on the driver’s operating record and are not used for insurance rating.

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. Services are offered in both English and Spanish.

How It works

When a vehicle illegally passes a school bus with its red lights flashing, and stop-arm activated, a multi-lens camera box on the side of the bus captures the violation and the car's license plate from different depths and angles. The footage, GPS, and timecode data are stored locally on an onboard digital video recorder (DVR) unique to each bus.

The data relating to the incident and violation is sent via an encrypted LTE network to a secure cloud system, where it is filtered by artificial intelligence (AI) software before being reviewed by a trained safety specialist.

If the specialist determines the violation is an offense, the specialist prepares an evidence package for law enforcement. The package is built in accordance with State law, complete with video footage, license plate number, make, model, vehicle owner information, GPS location, and a timestamp of the incident.

The evidence package is sent to law enforcement partners via a secure cloud portal. Law enforcement officers review the evidence package to approve. If approved, a notice of violation is mailed to the vehicle's owner, who is legally responsible for the violation per the law. The notice is issued along with a link to the AlertBus Driver Education & Payment Portal, where they can view video evidence of their violation. The vehicle owner makes their payment online, through the mail, or in person at a designated location within the jurisdiction. Notices of violation can also be contested through the relevant jurisdiction's civil court system.

When Should I Stop?Empty heading

• Motorists must stop at least 10 feet away from school buses that have their red lights flashing and stop-arm activated.
• Motorists must stop when they are behind a bus, meeting the bus, or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped.
• Motorists following or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop-arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety.
• If a physical barrier separates the roadways such as grassy medians, guide rails, or concrete median barriers separate oncoming traffic from the bus, motorists in the opposing lanes may proceed without stopping.
• Do not proceed until all the children have reached a place of safety.

For more information on school bus safety laws, refer to PennDOT.

Contact InformationEmpty heading

To speak to a representative about a stop-arm violation, contact the AlertBus Customer Contact Center toll-free support line at 1-800-852-7741. 

• The Contact Center is available Monday- 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. 

Online Access:
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: PA-777777), and vehicle license plate number (no dashes or spaces), as listed on your citation. 

To contest a violation:
If you wish to contest a violation, you must request a hearing within 30 days of the notice date. Complete the form included with your notice and return it by mail or email both sides to pahearingevidence@buspatrol.com.  You can contest the violation if any of the following apply: you weren't driving the vehicle at the time; the vehicle was stolen before the violation or you weren't the owner at the time of the offense. Detailed instructions are on the back of the notice.

School Bus LawsEmpty heading

• Motorists must stop at least 10 feet away from school buses that have their red lights flashing and stop arm extended.
• Motorists must stop when they are behind a bus, meeting the bus or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped.
• Motorists following or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety.
• If physical barriers such as grassy medians, guide rails or concrete median barriers separate oncoming traffic from the bus, motorists in the opposing lanes may proceed without stopping.
• Do not proceed until all the children have reached a place of safety and the red lights / stop arm are deactivated.

• 1.5 million children are transported on Pennsylvania roads each day.
• These children are transported more than 320 million miles to school each year.
• Every year children are needlessly injured or killed by drivers passing stopped school buses.