The MTA will outfit more than 100 New York City buses with real-time camera display screens under a new pilot program that aims to make buses safer.
Installed near the entry stairwells, the high-definition LCD screens will live stream video feeds from the cameras already on board, according to a press release from the MTA. The agency said the screens are meant to serve as a deterrent to potential bad actors and provide real-time evidence to law enforcement.
At a committee meeting for the MTA unveiling the program Monday, New York City Transit President Richard Davey said the new technology will keep both customers and bus operators safe.
“These screens will feed real-time footage from the existing robust network of bus cameras to conspicuously reinforce to passengers as they board that they are in fact, on camera,” Davey said.
The buses with the new screens will be deployed to routes that have the highest rate of assaults and other misdemeanors, according to the MTA. The screens are expected to be installed by the end of this year, and the pilot is expected to run through the beginning of 2025.
The program is one of several that aim to increase safety throughout the public transit system, most of which have been focused on the subways.
The National Guard was deployed earlier this month to assist with NYPD bag checks within the subway system. Gov. Kathy Hochul also rolled out a plan to install security cameras inside of subway cars. The MTA also said last month it would be installing brighter lights at subway stations. On Monday, the NYPD said it would deploy 800 more officers in the subways.