BusPatrol, Stopfinder, and Wayfinder make debut with Salem Public School 2024-25 school year, AAA Northeast supportive of safety initiatives

In an effort to make certain students arrive safely to and from school, Mayor Dominick Pangallo and the City of Salem are proud to announce that Salem Public Schools have launched three safety initiatives with the start of the 2024-25 academic year.

In coordination with NRT Bus, the Salem Public School's schoolbus service provider, the SPS Department of Transportation has initiated Stopfinder, an app which allows parents and caregivers to track their child's bus; Wayfinder, a navigation app and student ridership pass to confirm boarding and departing the bus; and BusPatrol, a camera adhered to the driver's side of a school bus to record oncoming, errant drivers ignoring the bus stop arm, thus endangering students and surrounding drivers.

AAA Northeast is proud to join Salem to raise awareness about back to school safety and remind everyone that the return to school requires extra vigilance on our roadways, especially around schools.

"Keeping our children safe is simple: slow down in school zones, be extra alert for pedestrians and bicyclists and always stop for school buses," said Mark Schieldrop, Senior Spokesperson, AAA Northeast. "There's no excuse for unsafe driving around our youngest, most vulnerable passengers and pedestrians."

Stopfinder

Stopfinder is a GPS tracking app that allows parents and caregivers to follow their child's bus in real-time. The app has several features including the ability to set ETA alerts and geoalerts, for which families set up alerts based on when a bus passes a certain location. Additionally, families can communicate directly with SPS Transportation staff through the Stopfinder app.

Wayfinder

Wayfinder is an in-vehicle navigation app with tracking cards - powered by radio frequency identification (RFID) technology - which students scan when boarding and exiting their bus. The Wayfinder pass enables SPS Transportation to account for when students board and exit their buses, the time and location, and stores the data. Additionally, Wayfinder also records the exact number of riders on each bus which will aid the efforts of the SPS Transportation Department.

"This information helps us to enhance safety and accountability and know where students are at all times," said Vanessa Fagundes, Transportation Coordinator at SPS. "This has been something which we've been trying to tackle for years. We're very excited about it. We hope all of our families will download these apps so they can see their child's record as well."

BusPatrol

With traffic congestion in the city of Salem, particularly in the morning, BusPatrol cameras will record drivers illegally passing buses during the pick-up and drop-off of students. The data logged from instances of illegal passing will help SPS Transportation and the Salem Police Department identify which parts of the City are seeing the most violations.

"Students are at risk every day," said Ms. Fagundes. "Our bus drivers do the best they can, honking, waving, but some motorists continue to ignore the stop arm."

Salem and Peabody are the first two cities in Massachusetts to launch BusPatrol in a pilot program. While Peabody buses have equipped 10 buses with cameras, Salem has equipped its entire fleet. Not only will the aforementioned security measures protect the students of Salem, they will also enhance the district-wide effort to improve absenteeism rates, consistent with the District's 2023-26 Strategic Plan.

"Now that school is back in session, Salem is proud to partner with AAA, BusPatrol, and NRT, to strengthen our commitment, and our actions, to ensure our kids can get to and from school safely," said Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo. "We're striving to achieve Vision Zero, to realize no deaths or serious injuries from car crashes on Salem streets. A key part of these efforts is our new school bus camera program, that will use cameras on the stop-sign arms of our school buses to document cars that break the law - and risk our kids' lives - by illegally passing them. The data from those cameras will help us educate drivers about the importance of not passing a stopped school bus, no matter which direction you're coming from. It will also help us tailor our police traffic patrols, so we can take an evidence-based, data-driven approach to enforcement. Here in Salem, we will continue using the tools available to us to ensure all our kids get to school and get home safe."

"The Salem Public School District is grateful to have partnered with BusPatrol, Stopfinder and Wayfinder to ensure the safe transport of our students to and from school, shared Salem Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Stephen Zrike, "These partnerships not only drive our emphasis on safety and attendance, but they support the core principles of our strategic plan. We're proud to be one of the first school districts in Massachusetts to debut this technology."

"We in the Salem Police Department and nearly all police departments take the safety of our children, your children, as one of our highest priorities," remarked Salem Chief of Police Lucas Miller, "We look forward to implementing this technology to help us identify those who would disregard the law requiring motorists to stop for school busses. I'd like to remind everyone that when you are rushing to work or rushing home, trying not to be late, those few minutes you might save by disobeying traffic regulations are not worth a child's life, a parent's grief, or the unending guilt of being responsible for such an accident. Stop for school busses flashing red lights and be prepared to stop when you see their amber lights."

"Last school year, Peabody participated in this same child safety program [through BusPatrol] and captured over 3,400 illegal passing violations from cameras affixed to just 10 out of 34 buses," shared Peabody resident Maria Scheri, "Had we put the cameras on all of the buses - it's likely this number would be well over 11,000. That's 11,000+ times a driver made a decision to put their own needs above the safety of a child getting on or off their school bus."

"This [BusPatrol] pilot program is an excellent opportunity to improve student safety on the bus and a great example of how we can harness innovation and technology to support our schools," said Cathy Spinney of NRT Bus, "We thank Salem Public Schools for their partnership and look forward to another productive and safe school year."

"We are thrilled to partner with Salem Public Schools on this vital pilot program," said BusPatrol President and Chief Innovation Officer, Justin Meyers, "By equipping school buses with stop-arm camera technology, we are not only monitoring drivers illegally passing stopped buses, but also paving the way to bring this innovative safety solution to other communities across Massachusetts. Our mission is to create safer roads for students and provide peace of mind for parents and communities."

"As the new school year begins, it's essential for drivers to stay alert and prioritize the safety of our students," said Senator Joan B. Lovely (Second Essex District), "Whether children are walking, waiting for buses, or crossing streets, we all share the responsibility to drive cautiously and ensure their safe journey to and from school."

"As a State Representative, Vice Chair of the Salem School Committee, and a parent of a Salem Public Schools student, I am thrilled to stand with AAA Northeast in support the launch of this pilot program with BusPatrol to install school bus cameras in Salem. Our students deserve to get to and from school safely, and this our top priority every day," said State Representative Manny Cruz (7th Essex-Salem), "This technology will enhance accountability for us as a community to identify hotspots for illegal passing of school buses, but also provides critical data that will help us build a strong case for a local enforcement home rule petition. We have seen the success of the program in our neighboring community, and I am confident that the safety of the children of Salem will be improved with what we learn from this pilot."

About Salem Public Schools

Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district in Salem, Massachusetts. Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Our leaders and our teachers are all passionate about education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement with equity and social-emotional needs as the lens we view all of our work through. We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community. Salem Public Schools staff serve all of our students, regardless of ability or language. Salem Public Schools enrolls approximately 4,000 students across its eleven schools.

About AAA Northeast

AAA Northeast is a not-for-profit auto club with offices in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire and New York, providing more than 6.5 million local AAA members with travel, insurance, finance and auto-related services.