MESA, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Verra Mobility (NASDAQ: VRRM), a global leader in smart transportation, announced that it has been awarded multi-year contracts with three New York counties to deploy CrossingGuard™, an automated stop arm photo enforcement solution that enhances safety by reducing the number of vehicles that illegally pass a school bus as children enter and exit.
The recently awarded contracts include Broome County, Oneida County, and Orange County. Combined, these counties account for a total of 44 school districts, approximately 135,500 students and thousands of school buses.
The announcement comes as Verra Mobility continues its ongoing commitment to support school safety in the state. By the end of 2020, Verra Mobility is on track to have more than 1,000 school zone speed safety cameras installed in New York City, one of the largest safety camera programs in the country.
The need for technology of this nature, including stop arm photo enforcement, is clear. In fact, 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
Jason Garnar, County Executive, Broome County, explained, “Photo enforcement has become an important tool in protecting children using a bus system, with research showing that just one citation from a stop arm solution can greatly decrease the chance of that person committing another violation – ultimately reducing the chance of any child being in the crosshairs of a negligent driver. We are thankful to have Verra Mobility, an expert in implementation, as a partner to our county’s school districts.”
Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente stated, “Our priority when we began this process was to add a layer of protection to safeguard Oneida County’s children who ride our school buses. This partnership with Verra Mobility is designed to promote drivers’ safety and reduce the number of accidents involving school buses."
Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus said, “Safety is such a massive priority for us right now as we battle COVID-19 in Orange County, especially in our school districts. Having a partnership with Verra Mobility to implement and manage stop arm safety cameras means that students who are using the bus system will be safer there, as well, as that’s why we started this program.”
Verra Mobility’s expertise comes from both its portfolio of safety technology and experience in stop arm camera program implementation. The company’s CrossingGuard™ school bus stop arm safety cameras are currently deployed on buses across Georgia, Maryland, Texas, Virginia and Washington.
Garrett Miller, Verra Mobility’s Executive Vice President, Government Solutions, stated, “We are deeply proud of this program’s success in other communities, and are excited to partner with these three counties, plus school district and law enforcement officials to integrate a seamless school bus stop arm camera program that prioritizes the safety of every student that rides the bus to and from school.”
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).
