Bad drivers, you’re warned: 4 school districts in Onondaga County set to get bus cameras

Syracuse, N.Y. – Four of Onondaga County’s largest school districts are in line to get school bus cameras that catch car drivers who pass the buses while they are stopped with lights flashing, if county lawmakers approve the pilot program.
Assuming Onondaga is like other counties, the school bus stop-arm cameras are likely to catch hundreds of offenders a year.
County officials are working with the Baldwinsville, Liverpool, North Syracuse and East Syracuse Minoa districts in hopes of installing the cameras for the 2025-2026 school year, said Chris Reidy, the county’s director of security.
County lawmakers, who were briefed on the plan Tuesday, are likely to vote on it at either their November or December session. Members of the Ways and Means Committee expressed informal but enthusiastic support after hearing the proposal Tuesday.
Broome County, which installed school bus cameras in 2021, fined more than 3,000 car owners in the first year of its program, according to a report by the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. Oneida County fined more than 850 car owners during the 2023-2024 school year, the Utica Observer-Dispatch reported.
Onondaga County has had some scary near-misses in recent years.
Following a request for proposals, Onondaga County officials are negotiating a contract with Verra Mobility, an Arizona company that would install cameras on the buses and maintain the recorded images.
Verra Mobility operates similar programs in Broome and Oneida counties, among other locations. The company sends fines to the owners of vehicles that are caught passing stopped school buses and splits the revenue with the host municipality.
The fine for a first offense is $250. A second violation within 18 months costs $275. A third violation costs $300.
Vehicle owners can dispute the fines in court if they choose.
The cameras document the license plate numbers of vehicles that pass while the school bus arm is activated and red lights are flashing. The fine is charged to the vehicle owner, not the driver, because the system is not designed to identify people.
The program is funded by the fines, with little or no operating costs for the county, said Benjamin Yaus, senior deputy county attorney. School districts pay nothing to participate. Verra will install and maintain the camera equipment at no charge. The company will keep 55% of the revenue from fines, and the rest will go to the county, said Justin Sayles, a county spokesman.
The county will have to supply a person, or persons, to review the images before fines are assessed. If a violation is confirmed, a notice is issued and mailed to the vehicle owner. Payments are collected by Verra Mobility.
The state legislature first authorized municipalities to implement school bus camera demonstration programs in 2019 and recently extended the authorization through 2029. The state legislation requires a municipality to opt in by passing a local law.
Syracuse has contracted with Jenoptik Northa America to install cameras on city school buses. Officials hope to have the cameras operating by the end of the year, said Greg Loh, chief policy officer.
County officials say they chose the first four school districts in part because they own their own bus fleets. Before the program can start, the county will negotiate memorandums of understanding between Verra Mobility, the county and the districts.
In the future, more school districts are expected to join the program, Yaus said. If necessary, the county will enter into MOUs with third-party bus owners in those districts.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 10 a.m. Oct. 30 with new information about revenue sharing between Verra Mobility and the county.
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Staff writer Tim Knauss can be reached at: email | Twitter | 315-470-3023.