Starting Jan. 11, BC Transit will be testing additional security equipment as part of a pilot project that concludes in April.
Limited audio recording capability will be tested in and around the transit operator’s compartment, as well the activation of two external side-mounted cameras on 13 buses in the Victoria fleet.
In total, there are 109 buses testing the security equipment. This includes nine additional buses within the Victoria Regional Transit System since the program began. Those nine buses join 75 already in service in Victoria and the 25 CNG-fueled buses in Kamloops.
Updated signage will be present on all camera and audio equipped buses to inform passengers.
The one-year pilot project, which started in April, is intended to study how the security equipment can enhance the safety of passengers and operators aboard BC Transit buses.
To date, over 342 security and safety incidents have benefited from the use of the security camera pilot project, including use as evidence in the arrest and successful prosecution of an individual who assaulted an operator in Victoria.
