New School Bus Safety Program to Launch April 11th

As part of our commitment to student safety, Souderton Area School District is excited to announce the launch of a new school bus safety program called BusPatrol.  The BusPatrol program will help make the ride to and from school safer for all students by curbing dangerous driving behavior around school buses.

With BusPatrol, the entire fleet of SASD buses will be operating automated stop-arm enforcement cameras to detect vehicles that illegally pass stopped school buses that have their red lights flashing and stop-arm extended.  The camera footage is shared with local law enforcement to determine whether to issue the vehicle owner a violation by mail.

Pennsylvania’s Operation Safe Stop reported more than 250 illegal passes in just one school day in 2021, and reports estimate that school buses in our state are illegally passed 2.18 times per bus per day.  SASD is no exception.

Beginning on April 11th, 2023, if a vehicle illegally passes a school bus transporting our students, the vehicle owner will be issued a violation. 

In addition to automated enforcement technology, our buses will be outfitted with other critical safety features, including interior cameras and GPS tracking.  This program is made possible by Pennsylvania’s Motor Vehicle Code § 3345, and the technology has been provided at zero cost to the school district or taxpayers, as the program is 100% violator funded. 

I appreciate your support in improving safety for the children who ride our school buses each day.  If you would like more information, we invite you to visit our BusPatrol Web page and learn more about Pennsylvania's school bus stopping law. 

Sincerely,



Frank T. Gallagher, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools