BRIDGEPORT, CT – BusPatrol celebrated the opening of its new Bridgeport office, the company’s first location in Connecticut and New England. The office will serve as BusPatrol’s Connecticut headquarters and regional base for the northern Northeast.
BusPatrol is a public safety technology company that provides AI-powered school bus stop-arm enforcement systems. The company works with more than 400 communities and hundreds of police departments across the country to discourage drivers from illegally passing stopped school buses.
BusPatrol President and Chief Innovation Officer Justin Meyers said the company has hired more than 27 people in the region as part of its investment in Bridgeport.
“If you’re going to come into a community and raise your hand and ask for the awesome responsibility of protecting the community’s children, we believe at BusPatrol you really have to be part of that community in a real and significant way,” Meyers said.
Bridgeport was among the first Connecticut communities to test automated school bus enforcement technology. During a pilot program involving approximately 75 buses, the cameras recorded nearly 10,000 illegal school bus passings in less than six months.
The program was later expanded to all 248 Bridgeport Public Schools buses. More than 20,000 violations were recorded during the first full school year, but officials said the number of violations has since steadily declined.
Meyers said approximately 89 percent of Bridgeport drivers who received a violation did not commit another offense. Nationwide, BusPatrol reports that approximately 92 percent of drivers who receive a violation do not repeat the offense.
Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter said changing driver behavior is the primary goal of the program.
“The ultimate goal of this program is to change behaviors so people slow down in our school zones or when they see our school buses,” Porter said. “We look forward to continuing to work with you to help make our schools, our streets and our students safe.”
Mayor Joseph Ganim described BusPatrol’s partnership with Bridgeport as an example of how the public and private sectors can work together to improve safety through technology. Ganim said protecting children is among the city’s highest responsibilities and welcomed BusPatrol’s growing presence in the community.
“It means a lot to us to have you as a corporate presence here too,” Ganim said.
BusPatrol officials also highlighted the company’s support for Bridgeport community organizations, including the Boys & Girls Club and its Midnight Basketball program. A mural inside the new office was created by artists from Bridgeport’s Zeto Studio Gallery.
Founded in 2017, BusPatrol provides school districts and law enforcement agencies with cameras, evidence review systems and other technology designed to identify illegal school bus passings. Its mission is to make the journey to and from school safer for every child.