CHICOPEE, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Chicopee is the first city in Massachusetts to use automated cameras on school buses to catch drivers who illegally pass them, but a technology snag is delaying the fines that were supposed to start on Wednesday.

In February, the city signed a contract with BusPatrol with the intention to lower the number of illegal passings of stopped school buses.

Here’s how it works, the safety program uses AI powered cameras to record drivers who fail to stop for school busses, then sending the evidence to police officers who can review the violations and decide whether it was a violation or not. If approved, a ticket is sent with a $250 fine. A trial period has been underway since the cameras were installed on 10 Chicopee School buses. Drivers who get flagged receive a notice in the mail with photos of their vehicle and a link to watch the video of themselves passing the bus.

We had to ask; how many drivers have already been caught during that trial period?

Chicopee Police shared with us that since the trial period began just over a month ago, they’ve been sent 54 violations to be reviewed. Of those 54 potential violations — 35 were considered to be actual violations. That means that 35 warnings were sent out by mail, and that’s just with 10 bus cameras, not the entire bus fleet.

According to Chicopee Police spokesperson Officer Travis Odiorne, the holdup comes down to a technology issue between BusPatrol and the RMV, specifically how violation data gets transferred and tracked for billing. Since Massachusetts is the first state to implement this legislation, that process still needs to be worked out. In the meantime, the trial period with the warnings will continue.

“So, as a result of that, we’re still going to be issuing the warnings. This will just give the public a little bit more time to see what it’s like to actually get the warnings in the mail.” Odiorne said.

Officer Odiorne also said there is no added cost to the city because of the delay, BusPatrol is handling the fixes. He did not have a timeline for when the violations will result in fines but hopes they could kick in by the end of the month.

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