Action News Jax Investigates: Dozens of local school buses caught on camera running red lights

Dozens of local school bus drivers running red lights: Only Action News Jax can show you videos of drivers caught on camera.

Our months-long investigation uncovered the Duval County school buses running the lights at intersections all over town.

After finding nearly 40 incidents, Action News Jax went to Duval County Public Schools for answers.

A representative with the school district said any traffic violation is serious and one bus running a red light is one too many. Still, we uncovered dozens of incidents. Through a public-records request, we were able to obtain video from red light cameras all over Jacksonville.

It’s something no parent wants to see -- a school bus running a red light.

"That scares me,” said grandmother Lorah Ashmore.

In a two-month-long Action News Jax Exclusive Investigation, we obtained a list of 38 incidents where a Duval County School bus contractor was given a notice of violation for running a red light. We then got video of 12 of those incidents.

Download the Action News Jax News app and First Alert Weather app

Wednesday, we showed the videos to parents. Mother Alicia Ware has four kids that ride the bus.

“Wow … you think twice if your kids are safe or not,” Ware said.

In one of the videos, a bus is seen running a red light while turning. It then hits the brakes when the car in front of it slows down. And in another video, a bus is seen driving right through the intersection a little more than two seconds after the light turned red.

“I hope they're checking driving records of the people that are driving our kids to school,” Ware said.

A representative with Duval County Public Schools tells Action News Jax all driving violations for the school bus operators appear on the weekly report. Going through the School Bus Safe Driver Plan, we found out red-light violations result in a four-point assessment and a bus driver who gets too many points can be suspended or lose certification.

"A school bus running a red light is -- I don't care what anybody says -- is crazy,” Ashmore said.

“There shouldn't ever be a time when you should feel rushed, because the minute or that second could be someone's life,” Ware said.

We're still waiting to hear back from all of the bus companies listed in the report for violations in 2016. The companies are First Student Inc., Student Transportation of America Inc. and Birnie Bus Service Inc.

We also learned that taxpayers are not on the hook for paying fines associated with these traffic violations. It's up to either the bus contractor or the driver to pay the fine.
                                                                                                                                                                                 
Here are the school district responses to questions asked during our investigation:

Q. Is the school district notified by private school bus companies like Birnie Bus, STA, etc., when a driver is cited for a traffic violation? Traffic violations include not only speeding tickets handed out by an officer, but also a “notice of violation” from Jacksonville’s red light traffic camera system.

A. All driving violations for the school bus operators active in the state database appear on the weekly Motor Vehicle Report (MVR), which is received online through the state reporting system. This report is reviewed and points assessed for each violation using the District’s Safe Driver Plan (see attached).

Q. Are you aware of any red light traffic camera violations committed by DCPS-contracted bus drivers?

A. The district is aware of three red-light camera violations for this current school year.

Q. When a driver is cited, who is responsible for paying fines, the company or DCPS?

A. Red light traffic camera violations committed while on a school bus are initially sent to the owner of the vehicle, which is the bus company. The bus company identifies the operator of the bus and has them assigned to the operator through Department of Motor Vehicle. Violations committed by the school bus operator in their private vehicle would appear on the weekly State MVR report as would any other motor vehicle infraction.   Either the bus contractor or the operator pays the fines. The school district is not responsible for paying these fines as the vehicles are owned by the bus contractors.

Q. Does DCPS consider a driver who ran a red light as a serious safety concern?

A. Yes, DCPS considers all traffic violations a safety concern. Red light violations fall under "failure to observe a traffic device" which carries a four-point assessment according to the Safe Driver Plan.

Cox Media Group