New Haven’s bus-camera program has issued 8,495 citations since March, but the city has not yet set up a hearing process for the 920 appeals received. City Transportation, Traffic & Parking Director Haley Simpson said that hearings will begin in early July.

Background on the Program

The program, which uses automatic-enforcement cameras installed on 344 city school buses, began issuing citations on March 2 after a month-long warning period. Each citation carries a fine of $250. As of Monday, 3,682 citations have been paid, and 920 have been appealed.

A local resident, Beth, who received a citation, said she was already passing the bus when it put out its stop sign. She has appealed the citation and is waiting for a hearing. Simpson said that hearing officers have been selected and will review the appeals and make determinations accordingly.

The city pays $225 per bus per month to contractor BusPatrol and $55 per paid citation. The city has received around $484,551 from the citations, but has paid nearly half of that to its camera contractor.

Original reporting: New Haven Independent — read the source article.