Stop-arm camera nabs dozens of drivers failing to stop for school buses on Ottawa roads

CTV Ottawa: School bus cameras

Stop-arm cameras have caught dozens of drivers failing to stop for school buses on Ottawa roads, but staff warn expanding the school bus camera pilot project to more buses will be costly.

The City of Ottawa launched the school bus camera pilot project in 2019, with camera systems installed on five school buses.

Each system consists of five individual cameras “strategically positioned” to capture images of motorists who fail to stop when a school bus arm is activated.

“The camera system captures video evidence of school bus arm violations, which can assist Ottawa Police with issuing tickets to the owners of the offending vehicles,” Alain Gonthier, general manager of Public Works, said in response to an inquiry by Coun. Catherine Kitts.

Data shows 365 tickets were issued by police between 2019 and 2025, with the majority of the infractions occurring on four-lane undivided arterial roadways, followed by major collectors, collectors and local roads.

Kitts told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron on Wednesday that she was shocked by the numbers.

“I felt a little bit uncomfortable with how little data we had gotten. The pilot had been in place since 2019,” she said.

“This is the kind of pilot you hope will fail. You would look at the data and say, ‘Okay, well nobody is actually passing the school buses, maybe we don’t need this around,’ but, of course, that’s not what the data shows.”

The registered owner of a vehicle caught by the stop-arm camera will receive a Provincial Offence Notice with a fine of $490.

In a report for the public works and infrastructure committee, Gonthier said a review of the program to determine if it should be implemented permanently concluded, “The cost of operating a program would be greater than the expected revenue generated.”

A high-level estimate suggested with an annual investment of $250,000, approximately 111 school buses could be equipped with camera systems over a 24-year period.

“Ongoing annual investments would be required to support the program’s long-term growth and maintenance,” Gonthier said.

“Expanded program delivery would require additional staffing resources from all partners, including the City of Ottawa, the school bus consortia, and the Ottawa Police Service.”

Other key considerations include:

• Ottawa developing a deployment strategy to “give priority to routes with more stops or those operating or higher order roadways to maximize the safety benefit.”
• Establishing formal agreements with partners would ensure clear roles and responsibilities.
• The cameras could provide important “educational value by raising public awareness and supporting enforcement of a law that is otherwise difficult to enforce,” staff said.
• Develop public education and awareness campaigns to help reinforce the school bus stop-arm laws and support driver behaviour change