New School Bus Camera Tickets might start showing up in your mail box, if a new San Antonio ordinance is passed.
What you need to know about new School Bus Camera Tickets.
Our sister site Traffic Ticket San Marcos recently wrote about School Bus Camera Tickets in San Marcos, but it seems that San Antonio might not be far behind.
As KSAT 12 notes in their article about School Bus Camera Tickets:
Right now, a number of districts are operating pilot programs with the cameras in place, including Northeast, Judson, South San Antonio, East Central, Boerne, Comal and New Braunfels, as well as Pre-K for SA.
If the new San Antonio ordinance is passed you could be getting School Bus Camera Tickets that are more than $300 if you illegally pass a school bus when it is stopped.
Remember when a school bus is stopped and has flashing lights, it means that children are getting on or off the bus. Their safety is the reason it is illegal to pass a school bus when it is stopped like that. This means you have to stop even if you are on the other side of thh street heading the other direction. The only time you do not need to stop for a school bus with flashing lights is when there is a physical barrier between the heading one side of the road and the other.
How to fight School Bus Camera Tickets.
KSAT 12 even interviewed out very own Justin Coquat about the civil penalties of School Bus Camera Tickets:
‘I typically advise my clients not to pay,’ Coquat said.
It is important to remember that civil School Bus Camera Tickets are different from criminal tickets you get from a cop.
At The Coquat Law Firm our top concern is making sure that children can safely enter and exit a school bus. But this doesn’t mean that we can’t defend you if you find yourself with School Bus Camera Tickets. Our trained traffic ticket lawyers handle thousands of citations every single year. You don’t have to fight your citations alone! Call 210-745-2835 today!!
DONATO GARCIA 219 497 1760. I GOT A DRIVING CITATION BY SCHOOL BUS SAFETY PROGRAM, I PAID 300 DOLLARS 0N 2/13/17. MY SON LIVINGN IN COLO WAS DRIVNG MY CAR AS I NO LONGER DRIVE AS I AM 89 AND HAVE PARKINSONS. MY SON CAME FROM COLO TO HELP ME MOVE TO AN ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY. HE NOT KNOW THE SAN ANTONIO LAWS. CAN U HELP?
Sure. Give us a call at the firm and we can discuss your situation further.
I loaned my vehicle to my son Julien Matthews
He refuses to acknowledge that he’s responsible .
Juliamatthews4646@gmail.com
Sorry to hear that.
I got a $300 school bus traffic ticket. I called you guys today and they said you don’t do these. But your article says you do. Can I get some clarification please.
Thanks for the comment. My article says, “It is important to remember that civil School Bus Camera Tickets are different from criminal tickets you get from a cop.” If you got a criminal ticket from a cop, we can defend you. If you got a ticket in the mail, as was explained when you called in, it’s a civil matter and my article says, “I typically advise my clients not to pay,” Coquat said. Hopefully that helps.
I was passing a bus provided he started moving and retracting his sign. Therefore why was I fined! Out of 3 images the two that show the sign faintly, show the sign retracting. This driver had started moving. This indeed makes me upset because I do agree with this school bus system for those passing them illegally
Thanks for the input. I’m guessing the camera uses motion sensors that don’t stop looking for violators until the stop sign is fully retracted. Unfortunate we’ve begun to allow technology to erode our Constitutional rights.
We have received the ticket in the mail and contested it. When the arm started coming out we were in the middle of the intersection and immediately stopped. The driver stuck his hand out and motioned for us to clear the intersection and keep driving. We did so. We just received a letter advising that they have reviewed that video and concluded that yes, driver stuck his hand out but it was to make us stop. According to the explanation reviewer provided, apparently we did stop and then proceeded to drive anyway. That is not true. We proceeded to dive because the driver of the bus motions for us to proceed and kept the door closed until we did.who would stop and then start driving again. They also advised that their drivers are not trained to wave people through. Sure. Everyone does exactly what they are trained to do. I think it was entrapment. Either way. Do we have a legal right to request copy of that video so we can view it before we take this matter to court?
Thanks for your inquiry. You start with “We have received the ticket in the mail and contested it.” But you didn’t provide me any background as to what the specific citation was and to what you are referring, therefore, I really can’t provide you with more. You also don’t tell me where you received the ticket, who or what court reviewed the ticket, and refer to “they” without starting off telling me who “they” is. Despite all this, if there is a video, you should have the legal right to obtain a copy of that video before trial.
Got a ticket for all the same reason i think its b.s an there way of making money ,bexause the lady in the bus had let the gurl out but was waiting till she got home ,he saod she waived for us to go ,but the bus was at a stop sing an just had the door an lights out as the gurl was walking all the way down frist of all if she wavied for us to go then her fault her job is to drop off an go not wacth her get home a whole 2mins ,so i dont have the time are patience to deal with these police officers are citation from the anything because they’ve been doing this to me for years and years because they don’t like my family so it’s weird that all of a sudden I updated my driver license with my new address and boom a week later I got a ticket in the mail ok here they go ,fire engine was here too for no reason .
Hello I received a citation that has incorrect information. Additionally none of the courts or law enforcement agencies claim this jurisdiction. What is a civil fine I will pay when I find out who they are and how they coming after people. The san Antonio police department states I do not have to pay it.
Rcvd ticket in mail for passing school bus. In the pic you can see the stop sign at an angle, that is bc I passed the bus and I passed it then driver deployed the stop. lights where not flashing at all, stop was not out.
Passing school bus ticket received in mail. Traveling same direction as bus in a residential area. Line of straight sight of 3/10 of a mile. Saw bus from about 1000 feet away, stopped at curb with yellow flashing lights. I’m traveling about 20 mph. Day after big SA snowstorm. As I get almost even with back of bus, I see movement to the right side of me. Teen and an older woman approaching back of bus from yard and continued moving swiftly down sidewalk away from bus. I turned my head to be aware of where they were going and as I passed the bus, the arm came out and the red lights came one. Picture shows stop sign still at an angle to side of bus. Not fully extended. Would like to appear in person and seek reduced fine. Occurred in San Antonio, TX. Northeast Ind school district
I received a citation in the mail today from “City of San Antonio School Bus Safety Program.” I was leaving the middle school parking lot on 2-15-2018, and a school bus was stopped right inside the entrance. I thought it was odd for a bus to be right there, and as I was right about to pass by it, the stop sign started to come out and I kept going. Can I get a citation for this since it was not on a road, but in a parking lot? Do I need to pay the $300 fine?
If there are traffic cones between the bus and the vehicle cited should the citation still be upheld?
Several issues about the citation I received seems wrong. 1. 6700 Blk. of FM78 is also Walzem Rd, and there is nothing but a field ( no intersection, no homes, no business’s, just shrubs). Why would a school bus stop there? -0- children were entering or exiting.
this is 2 way, no separating median, 6 lanes, 8 if you count center turning. This is NOT a location children would get off and cross into. Traffic is going full speed w -0- intersections. I counted 8 including myself passing the pulled over bus. My location was 3rd lane over with obstruction of view. I know this partly observing the video, I reviewed again and again. My observation showed the small red lights on the moving arm sign positioned at a 45 degree angle, ( not as visible than a straight out 90 degree angle) but there were no flashing visible amber lights on the bus. Also I read they must notify me not later than 30 days by mail and give me 30 days to respond. The incident happened 4/19, the date on the mail date was 6/11, My email inbox shows my daily mail every day. It was in my mail on 6/14 and I am required to respond 7/12. These deadlines violate the Ordinance Sec.19-651 (A)(2)d. and i. so I am contesting
yes the Same thing happened to me, I received a civil fine of 300 for passing a school bus , I tried to review the video on several occasions from several different computers but it was not available, All I received was the fine, notice and three pictures, In the photos it looks as if the arm is retracting and there are several other cars moving along with me, The Question is what is the specific law, is it that a fine can be enforced if children are loading and unloading? or is the law tied to the arm being extended? It seems many drivers are being fined even though no danger to school kids existed.