CHILLIWACK – BC Transit is temporarily re-positioning 10 buses to Chilliwack to replace those damaged by fire over the weekend. Two of the re-positioned buses are equipped with closed-circuit TV (CCTV) security systems.
CCTV systems have been installed on some buses in Victoria and Kamloops for a year-long trial period, and installation is underway for the Kelowna Regional Transit System on all its medium- and heavy-duty buses acquired after 2005.
Each bus with CCTV systems has six cameras, including a front-facing camera and limited audio-recording capability in the driver’s area. The video is intended to capture incidents that may impact passenger and operator safety.
CCTV-equipped buses have decals attached, indicating to customers that their actions on the bus may be recorded.
While the CCTV upgrade is to be rolled out province-wide, it has not yet been determined when Chilliwack’s buses will have the CCTV systems permanently installed. Victoria has CCTV on 83 of its buses; Kamloops has cameras on 25, which were installed for the one-year proof-of-concept (evaluation) period, which ended on April 30.
For more information on the project, how the cameras will operate, and the results from the 2015-16 pilot project, please consult the BC Transit Security Camera Questions and Answers. To find out more about BC Transit’s privacy policy, please visit https://bctransit.com/chilliwack/footer/privacy.
