Bus Cameras Making a Comeback for Rider Safety

Maybe this time it will work. Earlier this year Madison’s Common Council authorized a resolution to put cameras in 15 city buses. This was in response to reports of unruly behavior and violence on some bus routes. In at least one case, a driver was attacked by a passenger. There will be four cameras in each of the 15 buses. The buses equipped with cameras will be rotated on various routes as needs are identified by drivers and by passengers.This is not the first time the focus is on cameras as a solution to bad behavior on and around buses. About 15 years ago cameras were installed on eight city buses. At that time attention was on school buses. Middle and high school students were required to show a student ID in order to qualify for the student bus rate. Putting in cameras was an attempt to prevent non-students from riding school bus routes and causing trouble.

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