MESA, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Verra Mobility (NASDAQ: VRRM) announced today that Nassau, Onondaga and Niagara Counties have contracted with the company to outfit more than 6,500 school buses with stop-arm safety cameras. Once implemented, Verra Mobility’s CrossingGuard™ solution will help make the ride to and from school safer for more than 315,000 students in three counties and bring the total number of New York students protected by the technology to nearly half a million.
The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services estimates that throughout a 180-day school year, more than 17 million stop-arm violations could be committed by reckless drivers in the United States alone.1 New York state legislation passed in 2019 aims to curb those numbers, with motorists who are caught on camera disregarding a school bus stop arm issued a fine of $200 for the first offense, $250 for the second and $300 for the third.
In the coming months, Verra Mobility will actively collaborate with county, school district and law enforcement officials to integrate school bus stop-arm camera programs that prioritize the safety of every student who rides a school bus.
This is the second wave of New York counties to select Verra Mobility’s CrossingGuard safety camera solution as their top choice for management and implementation of their programs. Nassau, Onondaga and Niagara Counties represent the latest competitively bid school bus stop-arm camera contracts awarded to Verra Mobility in just the past three months, joining Broome, Oneida and Orange Counties.
“The momentum we see in New York is a key indicator that stop-arm safety camera programs are poised to put a stop to illegal passing,” said Garrett Miller, Verra Mobility Executive Vice President, Government Solutions. “We are pleased that communities across the state are choosing to partner with Verra Mobility, an organization that is committed to serving our customers at their highest point of need with smarter solutions that make mobility safer and easier.”
Ultimately, Verra Mobility’s experience implementing and managing stop-arm camera programs allows district officials to focus their attention on school priorities. In fact, schools are working with the company nationwide as they plan and strategize on how to operate safely both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In Georgia, for example, CrossingGuard programs in 15 school districts protect countless children on their journey to and from school. Verra Mobility is now leading expansion efforts in that state to equip even more school buses with stop-arm camera technologies.
For more information about Verra Mobility’s CrossingGuard program, please visit verramobility.com/crossingguard.
About Verra Mobility
Verra Mobility (NASDAQ: VRRM) is committed to developing and using the latest in technology and data intelligence to help make transportation safer and easier. As a global company operating in more than 15 countries, Verra Mobility sits at the center of the mobility ecosystem – one that brings together vehicles, devices, information, and people to solve the most complex challenges faced by our customers and the constituencies they serve.
Verra Mobility fosters the development of safe cities, partnering with law enforcement agencies, transportation departments and school districts across North America, operating thousands of red-light, speed, bus lane and school bus stop-arm safety cameras. It also serves the world’s largest commercial fleets and rental car companies to manage tolling transactions and violations for millions of vehicles. A leading provider of connected systems, Verra Mobility processes millions of transactions each year through connectivity with more than 50 individual tolling authorities and more than 400 issuing authorities. For more information, visit www.verramobility.com.
About CrossingGuard
CrossingGuard is a turnkey stop-arm safety camera solution that incorporates all the services required to successfully reduce illegal school bus passing. As a violator-funded program, no upfront costs are required. CrossingGuard has proven to be an effective way to discourage drivers from illegally passing school buses. In fact, 99 percent of drivers who were issued and paid a violation did not receive a second.2 For more information, visit www.verramobility.com/crossingguard.
1 2019 NASDPTS Illegal Passing Results Summary
2 Verra Mobility Data: 24 Operational CrossingGuard programs in GA, MD, TX, VA during the 2018/19 school year (08/2018 - 09/2019)
