- Hub staff

Today, the Ontario government announced proposed regulations to allow evidence from stop arm cameras on school buses to be used in court without the requirement of an additional witness.

School buses for the local school boards in Grey-Bruce are not equipped with stop arm cameras, according to the Bluewater District School Board's transportation department.

In Waterloo region, a private firm is doing a pilot test of stop arm cameras at their own expense. According to TheRecord.com, questions remain:

"If school buses get cameras, who will pay for them? Estimated costs approach $6 million to put cameras on 372 local buses [in Waterloo region], although not all buses might need them.

Will tickets go to drivers or vehicle owners? Who will process tickets? Will rear-end collisions increase as more drivers hit the brakes?"

Ontario also plans to introduce legislation that, if passed, would allow municipalities to target drivers who threaten the safety of children on school buses with new, additional monetary penalties.

Each school day, more than 837,000 students travel in a school vehicle in Ontario.

source: media release, Government of Ontario, Bluewater District School Board