Technology1 min read

Maryland county used AI cameras on school buses to generate 375,000 tickets

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

An investigative report revealed that Montgomery County distributed approximately $40 million to vendor BusPatrol between 2019 and 2024, retaining only about $18.5 million for public coffers. The system pairs artificial intelligence software with human police verification to monitor passing vehicles. However, citations per active camera barely shifted over a five-year span, dropping marginally from 36 down to 34. Although BusPatrol maintains that the setup documents hidden safety hazards like near misses, the data shows annual ticket totals climbing rather than receding.

Key points

  • Automated school bus monitoring programs do not necessarily produce measurable declines i…: Automated school bus monitoring programs do not necessarily produce measurable declines in vehicular collisions or traffic infractions.
  • Revenue-sharing structures can divert the majority of penalty collections away from local…: Revenue-sharing structures can divert the majority of penalty collections away from local governments to private technology vendors.
  • Private enforcement vendors argue that automated tracking uncovers unrecorded roadside da…: Private enforcement vendors argue that automated tracking uncovers unrecorded roadside dangers like near misses that evade standard collision reports.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Montgomery County’s school bus cameras are facing questions over safety. The Maryland county issued more than 375,000 tickets and $92 million in fines through its camera enforcement programme, but an investigation by Bloomberg Businessweek and Type Investigations found little reduction in violations and no evidence of fewer collisions near stopped school buses.

The findings raise questions about whether the programme is changing driver behaviour. BusPatrol, which operates the cameras, says its technology helps protect children while allowing local authorities to fund installation and operations through violation revenue. Its artificial intelligence cameras flag suspected illegal passing, but police review the evidence before issuing tickets. The $92 million represents fines issued, rather than money collected.

What the investigation found about violations

County figures cited in the investigation show that citations per active camera fell only slightly, from 36 in 2020 to 34 in 2025. Total citations increased over that period, from 50,698 to 51,779.

The investigation examined county records, local news reports and camera footage. Its finding of no evidence of fewer collisions does not establish that cameras have no safety value,…

Technology