RICHMOND, Va. — Out of the roughly $4 million dollars generated through Richmond's Bus Stop Arm Enforcement Program between July 2021 and June 2024, roughly $465,000, or about 12 percent, has gone to the city's school district.
That's according to information provided through a Freedom of Information Act to Richmond Public Schools, which contracts with BusPatrol America, LLC.
A spokesperson for the district told CBS6 back in October that over the last three fiscal years, including this one, the program collected about $532,000 in fees, which may account for data points missing for October and November of 2021, and the months between June and October of this year.
A look at the contract, which is set to end in 2026, shows the bigger picture.
Based on the district's contract with Bus Patrol, out of total monthly revenue collected from tickets, which are set to $250 each by the General Assembly, Bus Patrol receives 60% of the share and the school district receives 40% of the share. However, the contract requires $37,800 in "technology fees" to be taken out of Richmond's share each month.
If Richmond's monthly share does not completely cover the technology fee, a remaining balance is owed and carried to the next month.
The first year of the contract, based on the data points provided, which does not include October and November of 2021, RPS owed money every month to Bus Patrol.
Richmond received about $2,800 in revenue in July 2022.
Out of the 31 months of data the accounted for in the documents provided to CBS6, RPS only made a profit for 15 months, roughly half of the time.
“I had to FOIA request it. Every state that I’ve seen this program in, I have to FOIA request to figure out, what does your contract look like? What do your revenue streams look like?" said Chris Fryman, who did his own digging into Richmond's program after he received a ticket several years ago.
"Are you now paying lease fees on these, on the equipment that you could've possibly already owned?" Fryman said.
The data shows that since November 2023, the district has continuously made a profit.
April 2024 has been the most profitable month according to the data, with $248,989.60 total revenue collected from tickets. RPS received $61,795.84 that month.
However, some drivers have concerns about the program's enforcement and fairness.
Of the 20 people who appeared in Richmond court last month to face a judge about the tickets, CBS 6 only saw three people opt to contest their ticket, risking the chance of a $250 fine and four demerit points added to their driving record.
All three of them were found guilty, including Darleen Slade, a Richmond Public Schools employee who was volunteering at a Special Olympics event at Huguenot High School when she got her ticket earlier this year.
"The students were still on the field, they hadn't been dismissed from the event, I was simply moving my car so that the bus could park with the other buses," Slade said.
In video taken by the stop-arm camera, Slade was seen passing a bus with its stop arm out, but the bus was in a parking lot, and Slade said she was sure the bus was not actively loading or unloading.
"They were simply trying to park, and I don't see the purpose of having the arm out. You're not receiving at that moment, no traffic should've been interrupted at that time," Slade said.
Natasha Smith said she received a violation for passing a stopped bus that was parked outside her student's school.
“This bus is scheduled to sit there for 20-30 minutes," Smith explained. "So, it wasn’t just a one-day incident. This happens every single day for at least the past three years.”
Smith opted to take a defensive driving course and pay a court fee, rather than try to contest the violation in front of the judge.
"The program is an amazing program, right? We're in a city where we need our kids to be protected. We definitely want to ensure the safety of other kids, other drivers, so the program is great. It's the enforcement that's the problem," parent Natasha Smith said.
The Richmond Schools Transportation Handbook, which was also obtain through a FOIA request, states bus drivers should report any time they see a driver ignore bus lights or the stop arm sign.
We did reach out to the district to see how many reports they've received, but have not yet heard back.
We also reached out just for general comment on the data included in this report.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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