How School Bus Safety Innovation Inspired the Creation of BusGates

Every morning across America, parents send their children off to school with the same hope: that they’ll arrive safely and return home just as they left. For us, at BusGates®, that hope turned into a mission.

BusGates® was born out of both love and fear. Love for our kids, and fear for what could happen in those few moments at the bus stop. We’ve all seen it: cars speeding past stopped school buses, ignoring flashing lights and stop arms. The frustration and anxiety of watching near misses, and hearing about tragic accidents, finally became too much.

One morning, as our children climbed aboard the bus, a car flew past like the stop sign wasn’t even there. In that moment, we realized something had to change. We couldn’t just hope for safety anymore, we had to create it.

In 2023, that determination became BusGates®.

A School Bus Safety Innovation Built for Real Results

Our team of parents and innovators designed the BusGates® Stop-Arm Extension - a simple, school bus safety innovation that is also a cost-effective solution with a powerful impact. The extension increases visibility and physically extends five feet from the side of the school bus, acting as a real deterrent to illegal “drive-arounds.” Early results have shown that BusGates® can reduce these dangerous passes by up to 95%.

The design fits easily onto existing bus stop signs, helping districts enhance safety without costly overhauls. Most importantly, it makes drivers think twice, and slow down, when approaching a stopped bus.

But beyond the technology, BusGates® is about something deeper: peace of mind.

We are a parent-owned company, guided by the same instincts and worries every parent feels when that yellow bus pulls away. Our mission is simple - to make school buses more visible and children safer.

We’re deeply grateful to every school district, transportation director, and driver who shares this mission with us. Together, we’re building something bigger than a product, we’re building a movement toward safer roads for every child.

Because at BusGates®, we believe every student deserves to get to school, and back home, safely.