2,000+ Buffalo drivers ticketed for passing stopped school buses so far in October

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Enforcement of the Buffalo School bus stop arm camera program started the first of this month, and the progress report is in.

A city spokesperson tells us, over three weeks, 2,250 drivers have been hit with tickets for passing stopped busses so far in October.

As of Tuesday, only 207 people have paid up.

According to Erie County Clerk Mickey Kearns, on a driver's first offense, the fine starts at $250.

The second is between $600 and $750.

A driver's third conviction could cost up to $1,000, plus the possibility of 180 days behind bars.

Each conviction comes with five points on your license.

During the previous three-month grace period more than 4,000 Queen City drivers received warnings in the mail.

At a National School Bus Safety Week news conference, Buffalo Public's David Hills said these numbers illustrate the need for bus cameras.

"We needed to do something comprehensive, community-wide, and as strategic as possible to ensure our students are safe," said David Hills, the district's chief operating officer. "So we know that this will make a difference, but it will take some time. But we knew there was a problem there. Now we have a number to put to it. But the large anecdotal reporting was this was the scope of the problem. It was serious. So we had to take serious measures."

Elsewhere in Erie County, the sheriff's office is cracking down.

Captain Scott Joslyn said a deputy was assigned to follow a Town of Holland school bus route, after receiving complaints of drivers passing stopped buses.