Mandatory Perimeter Cameras for School Buses Introduced by Transport Canada

February 3, 2025 TruthUSA

Transport Canada is implementing measures to enhance student safety by adding more cameras to school buses, according to the ministry.

After Ottawa mandated perimeter visibility systems on all Canadian school buses, Transport Canada announced the initiative. These systems help drivers identify children near the bus while it’s stopped or moving slowly, as stated in a Feb. 3 press release.

Transport Minister Anita Anand mentioned in the press release, “The biggest safety risk for children riding a school bus isn’t inside the vehicle, it’s actually around the bus. With this new regulation, the Government of Canada is taking meaningful action to improve school bus technologies and to keep our children safe.”

The new visibility systems utilize external cameras to help drivers determine if anyone is near the bus before departure, providing “enhanced visibility beyond what mirrors alone can provide,” the ministry explained.

The requirement for perimeter visibility systems went into effect on Dec. 18, 2024. Starting on Nov. 1, 2027, all new school buses must include these systems.

This regulation makes Canada the first country worldwide to mandate the use of this technology on new school buses.

Along with the perimeter visibility systems, Transport Canada also introduced requirements for manufacturers who opt to install infraction cameras on buses voluntarily. These cameras can capture images of vehicles illegally passing a bus.

The new measures were developed in response to a 2020 report from the Task Force on School Bus Safety, which highlighted the necessity for new approaches to safeguard children around school buses, where they are most at risk.

The task force, comprising federal, provincial, and territorial government representatives, manufacturers, school bus operators, safety associations, labor unions, and school board representatives, was established in January 2019 to address school bus safety concerns, both inside and outside the bus, the ministry mentioned.

Transport Canada noted that over 2.2 million children commute to and from school daily on more than 50,000 school buses.

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