School Bus Extended Stop Arm

Bus Safety Solutions utility patented Extended Stop Arm can reduce stop arm violations by as much as 90%! That’s a reduction of more than 18 million infractions every year! In a typical day in the U.S., over 130,000 vehicles pass stopped buses illegally – that’s over 20 million stop-arm violations in a typical school year! Including other causes, school bus injuries, on average, send around 17,000 U.S. children to the emergency room each year. Crashes account for the highest percentage of injuries, but the second-highest cause is boarding and leaving the bus. Independent studies show a 90% reduction in Stop Arm Violations with the use of Extended Stop Arms, and our Patented System can be found in over 200 school districts in 23 states and Canada.

We have the solution to reduce stop-arm violations by 90%, and that is our patented Extended Stop Arm.

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Overview - The Extended Stop Arm provides a physical presence to stop vehicles from passing stopped school buses. This has a break-away feature such that if struck at a significant speed will shear the bolt connections and the electrical connection. This is a patented product #US 9,245,465 B1. The arm takes 3.8 to 5 seconds to deploy or retract for electric or pneumatic. Should the electric arm be opened into another object, or the side of another bus, it will automatically retract and reset after 20 seconds, protecting both the Extended Stop Arm and the Electric Linear Actuator. Extended Stop Arms meet all Federal Motor Vehicle Standards for School Bus Stop Arms – FMVSS 571.131.

The Extended Stop Arm - powder coated aluminum or steel, vinyl, fasteners are all stainless steel. Electrical wiring is all U.V. protected cabling. It is covered by our 5-year warranty, which is backed up by individual product warranties of the contracted manufacturers.

Components - There are Six main components to the Extended Stop Arm: Hinge Frame, Steel Frame, Aluminum Frame with sign, Linear Actuator or Pneumatic Cylinder, Electric Control Box, and Standard Sign.

Hinge Frame - The Hinge Frame is composed of three pieces: a vertical support, horizontal support, and hinge plate. The vertical support is attached at 3 points using #12 stainless steel screws. The horizontal support is attached at 10 points using #12 stainless steel screws. The two supports are attached using two ¼” stainless bolts and the hinge frame itself. The hinge frame is mounted on a BIG GIANT brass bushing and nylon washers. It is powder coated black over steel.

Steel Frame - The steel frame is directly mounted to the hinge frame and is designed to allow a standard arm to mount “within it” to the hinge frame. The steel frame is made of 7 gage steel and is 24” long. It is powder coated school bus yellow over steel.

Aluminum Frame with Sign - The aluminum frame comes in three different lengths, 12”, 37” and 42”. It is powder coated school bus yellow over aluminum. A standard stop sign meeting FMVSS 131 is mounted on the end of the aluminum frame. It has two LED flashing lights on each side.

Actuator or Pneumatic Cylinder - The Extended Stop Arm can be motivated by an electric actuator or pneumatic cylinder. Each is attached to the hinge frame unit at the horizontal support and hinge frame. Both systems exert 100 lbs pressure to open the arm.

Linear Actuator - This is a 100# thrust unit, with an IP66 rating operating at a temperature range of -10 F to 110 F providing consistent operations of the Extended Stop Arm. This has a 400# static load for keeping the arm against the side of the bus. The electric actuators require 12 v power from the school bus.

Pneumatic Cylinders - The pneumatic cylinders are powered by the school bus air system.

Electronic Control Box and Wiring - The electronic control system is mounted in a control box mounted to the side of the bus. This box is made of ABS plastic and is UV resistant. It is 18’ long, 2.5” Deep, and 7” high. It holds the controls for the entire system, including the pneumatic system – if that is in use, or the electric actuator controls if those are in use. Electrical wiring is all U.V. protected cabling.

Standard Sign - A standard stop sign meeting FMVSS 131 is mounted on the hinge plate. It has two LED flashing lights on each side.

The Extended Stop Arm Exceeds the Federal Standard 571.131 School Bus Pedestrian Safety Devices.

Lights - are independently plugged into the wiring harness. Meaning any light can be replaced individually. They are all bright 9 LED in a sealed housing US FMVSS 108 vehicle lighting compliant. The lights stay on for 2 extra seconds when closing to allow for the arm to close against the side of the bus.

Sign - is current to the Federal specifications for the Stop sign in both size and specific quality of lettering and reflectivity. Aluminum break-away frame - This is powder coated aluminum built to our specifications. Total weight of frame, lights, and sign is 7 pounds.

Steel support square frame - This is powder coated steel and has the strength to support the break-away aluminum frame. This allows shearing of the #8 nylon 5/16” bolts.

Steel Hinge support - This is designed to support both the original sign, and our new steel frame, as well as the aluminum break-away sign. This is comprised of a heavy-duty steel vertical, and horizontal member which supports the linear actuator as well. Both the vertical and horizontal pieces’ have ¾” X ½” bronze iolite bushings. In addition, the hinge piece itself has a ½” stainless steel rod as the hinge which operates within the bronze bushings. The fasteners are all stainless steel including the studs on this hinge piece.

Wiring harness - for the lights is attached using a harsh environment waterproof ATM series sealed connector for the weather seal at the breakaway point.

Electronic Control Unit - This was developed specifically for us. It controls the flash, and strobe of the lights, as well as the Linear Actuator or pneumatic cylinder move the arm. This requires a 15-amp supply line fuse from the fuse box, and to be connected to the control wire for the existing Stop Arm lights. The unit uses very low current.

Air/Pneumatic Double Acting Cylinder – This is a 100lbs of thrust unit. It has all stainless-steel parts that uses the bus compressor air to power in and out. The air pressure securely holds in the Extended Stop Arm when the bus is running. A check valve keeps the arm secure when the bus is off. An electric control unit also controls the air cylinder.

Length – The Extended Stop Arm is available in two lengths: a 4.5’ and 6.5’ total length. The shorter version can be used on routes with 1 lane or parking lots (CALL FOR DETAILS ON 4.5' UNIT).