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1. Violation Contact Information

To speak to a representative about a stop-arm violation contact, the Alertbus Customer Contact Center at 1-877-504-7080.

The Contact Center is available Monday to 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.

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

All payments must be sent to the above listed payment center.

The County does not accept payments at any location.

2. How will School Districts in Suffolk County Benefit from the Safety Program?

All school districts can opt-in to the Suffolk County program and benefit from an advanced school bus safety suite deployed across their entire fleets at no cost to the schools, taxpayers or County. The violator-funded safety program handles the procurement, installation, management and maintenance of the safety technology. In addition to a targeted effort to reduce the illegal passing of school buses in the community, the school district will benefit from access to cloud-connected internal cameras and BusPatrol’s Alertbus platform for live streaming of video and emergency alerts.

3. Participating School Districts

• Amagansett UFSD
• Amagansett UFSD
• Amityville UFSD
• Babylon UFSD
• Bay Shore UFSD
• Bayport-Blue Point UFSD
• Brentwood UFSD
• Bridgehampton UFSD
• Center Moriches UFSD
• Central Islip UFSD
• Commack UFSD
• Comsewogue UFSD
• Copiague UFSD
• Deer Park UFSD
• East Hampton UFSD
• East Islip UFSD
• East Moriches UFSD
• East Quogue UFSD
• Eastern Suffolk BOCES
• Eastport-South Manor CSD
• Elwood UFSD
• Fire Island UFSD
• Greenport UFSD
• Half Hollow Hills CSD
• Hampton Bays UFSD
• Hauppauge UFSD
• Huntington UFSD
• Kings Park CSD
• Lindenhurst UFSD
• Longwood CSD
• Mattituck-Cutchogue UFSD
• Middle Country CSD
• Miller Place UFSD
• Mt. Sinai UFSD
• North Babylon UFSD
• Northport-East Northport
• New Suffolk Common Scho
• Oysterponds UFSD
• Patchogue-Medford UFSD
• Port Jefferson UFSD
• Quogue SD
• Remsenburg-Speonk UFSD
• Riverhead CSD
• Rocky Point UFSD
• Sachem CSD
• Sag Harbor UFSD
• Sagaponack CSD
• Sayville UFSD
• Shelter Island UFSD
• Shoreham-Wading River CSD
• Smithtown CSD
• South Country CSD
• South Huntington UFSD
• Southampton UFSD
• Southold UFSD
• Springs UFSD
• Three Village UFSD
• Tuckahoe CSD
• Wainscott CSD
• West Babylon UFSD
• West Islip UFSD
• Westhampton Beach UFSD
• William Floyd UFSD
• Wyandanch UFSD
• WS BOCES

4. Who Are Stop-Arm Violation Tickets Issued to, and How Much Will They Cost Violators?

		Programs toll free number available to offenders  1-877-504-7080 The Contact Center is available Monday to 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
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: NY-777777), and vehicle license plate number (no dashes or spaces), as listed on your citation. All payments must be sent to the above listed payment center. The County does not accept payments at any location.

Stop-arm cameras identify illegal passers by license plate number. Tickets are issued to a vehicle’s registered owner, unless the automobile is proven stolen during the time of the offense. If someone other than the vehicle’s owner was driving at the time, the owner can request a transfer of liability.

In most states, a first-time stop-arm violation carries a fine of $250. In New York state, subsequent violations within an eighteen month period are subject to a $25 increase in penalty, up to a maximum of $300.

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, who can review the video evidence with them and help them understand the dangers of illegal passing. Services are offered in both English and Spanish.

Data from other safety programs demonstrates that 94% of first-time offenders do not receive a second ticket, and that 95% of drivers do not contest their ticket after seeing video evidence of their violation.

5. How Does It Work?  

The diagram above is a representation of the camera systems used in the County

BusPatrol’s leading stop-arm enforcement program is built on a robust, guided, and secure process.

When a vehicle illegally passes a school bus while the stop-arm is deployed, BusPatrol’s multi-lens camera box captures the violation and car’s license plates from different depths and angles. The footage, along with GPS and timecode data, is stored locally on an onboard digital video recorder (DVR) unique to each bus.

The data related to the incident and violation is sent via an encrypted LTE network to BusPatrol’s secure cloud system. BusPatrol’s artificial intelligence (AI) software filters all footage received from each bus before it goes to one of our safety specialists for review.

A BusPatrol safety specialist reviews the filtered footage. If they determine that the violation is indeed an offence, the specialist prepares an evidence package for use by law enforcement. The package is built in accordance with state law, complete with video footage, license plate number, make, model, driver information, GPS location, and a timestamp of the incident.

The evidence package is then submitted to law enforcement via a secure cloud portal. Law enforcement reviews the evidence package to approve citation. If approved, a ticket is mailed to the vehicle’s owner, along with a link to 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 in the municipal jurisdiction – tickets can also be contested through the relevant jurisdiction’s civil court system.

6. How Can I Learn More?

The primary focus of the School Bus Stop-Arm Safety Program is public awareness and education. The success of the program is measured in the reduction of stop-arm violations over time and not by the number of vehicles caught violating the law. Please review the information regarding school bus safety and the “danger zone” below.

• Read the Code of New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law §1174-a(m)
• Read Senate Bill S4524B
• Read the Code of Ordinances for Suffolk County

7. Safety Tips for Children, Student Riders, and Parents

Parents: You should discuss transportation conduct and safety rules with your children and share the safety tips below.

• Get to the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive
• When the bus approaches, stand at least three giant steps (six feet) away from the curb, and wait away from the street
• Wait until the bus stops, the door opens, and the driver says that it's okay, before stepping onto the bus
• If you have to cross the street in front of the bus, walk on the sidewalk or along the side of the road to a point at least five giant steps (ten feet) ahead of the bus before you cross. Be sure that the driver can see you, and you can see the bus driver.
• Use the handrails to avoid falling. Be careful that clothing with drawstrings and bags with straps don't get caught in the handrails or doors
• Never walk behind the bus
• After you get off the bus, walk at least three giant steps away from the side of the bus
• If you drop something near the bus, tell the bus driver. Never try to pick it up because the driver may not be able to see you
• Students can only board and disembark at their designated stop

Important safety tips for children to learn and remember

• Check before you step
• I see the driver, the driver sees me
• Wait for the driver's signal to cross
• Look left, right, and left again
• Use a backpack or bookbag to avoid dropping things
• Horn means danger

8. How to Behave Around School Buses in NY

 

Information from the DMV of NY

 School Buses Are Unlike Other Vehicles 

School buses have bigger blind spots, take longer to stop, and need more room to maneuver than a standard vehicle. Buses should be treated differently than you would treat an average-sized vehicle. It is important for drivers to know how to react to a school bus in operation. 

When you encounter a school bus:

• Slow down. School buses make frequent stops, so be patient and drive at a reasonable speed. Remember, in addition to picking up and dropping off students, school buses are required by law to stop at railroad crossings.
• Be alert. Always be aware of children and parents that may be waiting at a school bus stop or perhaps running to catch the bus before it departs.
• Come to a complete stop at least 20 feet away from the bus.
• Be extra careful to look around before moving your vehicle, as children may be walking in front of, behind, or on the side of school buses. Check for pedestrians - especially near schools, bus stops, playgrounds, parks, and behind parked cars.

Right of Way 

When a school bus stops and flashes its red lights, traffic approaching from either direction must stop before reaching the bus: 

• on a two-lane road
• on multi-lane highways
• on divided highways

Share the Road 

• Yellow flashing lights mean the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. Slow down and prepare to stop your vehicle.
• Red flashing lights mean the bus has stopped and children are getting on or off. Stop your vehicle and wait until the school bus resumes motion or until signaled by the driver or police officer to proceed.