"This action represents the most significant security investment ever in New Jersey Transit's bus system," said Jim Gigantino, New Jersey Transit's Acting Vice President and General Manager of Bus Operations. "The purchase of these buses will ensure that more than half of New Jersey Transit's fleet will be equipped with this type of technology as the new buses are delivered."
"The safety and security of our bus operators and customers is our highest priority, and we have worked closely with New Jersey Transit to advance this issue," said Vito Forlenza, Chairman of the Amalgamated Transit Union. "The inclusion of the closed-circuit camera technology in New Jersey Transit's fleet will mean a big step forward in enhancing onboard safety."
New Jersey Transit is currently conducting two bus camera pilot programs as part of an ongoing focus on employee and customer safety.
In October 2006, the New Jersey Transit Board approved a pilot program to install video cameras on 74 buses operating out of Big Tree Garage in Nutley -- which serves communities in Essex, Passaic, Bergen and Union counties -- as well as cameras on 48 supervisor vehicles. The $424,000 one-year pilot will begin early this year and will enable New Jersey Transit to evaluate the system's benefits to operator and customer safety before proceeding with future installations. The cameras record data when activated by the operator or when triggered by a sudden change in "g-force" such as a collision or high-speed maneuver, capturing occurrences both inside and outside the bus.
In 2005, New Jersey Transit installed digital cameras on 50 buses in South Jersey as part of a separate $1.5 million pilot program funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The cameras record footage from multiple interior and exterior positions and enable New Jersey Transit police to view live video footage from aboard the bus.
In addition to enhancing safety and security, the new fleet of buses will offer improved service reliability and upgraded, comfortable interiors for customers. The buses will be equipped with wheelchair lifts and a kneeling feature, and will meet or exceed the latest environmental standards by incorporating technologies to reduce exhaust emissions.
