Plum School District to put cameras on buses not already equipped with them

The Plum School District will be installing cameras on the remainder of its bus fleet.

The district has received a state grant of roughly $164,000 that will pay for equipping the 34 vehicles with interior and exterior cameras.

The district began the effort nearly a year ago, when it used a $105,000 grant to equip 23 buses.

The cameras give a 360-degree view of the exterior of the bus, transportation Director Taye Coles said.

Each bus will have up to nine cameras, depending on size. They’ll be installed looking forward and backward on the “stop” arm; dash-mounted facing forward; passenger side door view; and exterior rear.

The number of interior cabin cameras also varies based on bus size, Coles said. Full-size, 72-passenger buses will have four, while smaller buses will get fewer.

When the cameras will be installed is unclear.

The district is in the process of buying a number of electric buses. It was not known if they would come pre-equipped with cameras.

The camera systems the district is getting now will be able to be used on other vehicles when, or if, the district obtains the electric buses, Coles said.

According to district officials, some camera footage has been shared with borough police in cases of drivers illegally passing school buses.

The district could not say how many such cases there had been, and a police department spokesman said the information was not available.