In an effort to secure the safety of passengers and drivers, almost all Kelowna transit buses now have cameras following an investment by the Province of B.C. and the federal government.
On Monday, officials announced 41 Kelowna buses are now equipped with video surveillance with six more retro-fits in progress.
Work continues on the remainder of the fleet.
The project cost $235,000.
“These are really about ensuring people feel safe and secure on our transit system,” Kelowna-Mission MLA Steve Thomson said. “These cameras will boost the level of security, offer improved working conditions for our drivers who do such a great job for us.”
Footage access will be limited and only viewed when there is an incident noted by a driver or alert triggered by a sudden change in bus direction or speed, according to B.C. Transit.
“The video is used only where there’s a need for video to be used and after a certain number of hours, the video is refreshed with new tape,” Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick said.
Work on equipping all Kelowna buses with video monitoring began in earnest following the murder of Caesar Rosales, a Kelowna man who was randomly stabbed in the neck by another passenger.
READ MORE: Newton sentenced to 7 years for Kelowna transit bus stabbing
Several assaults on bus drivers saw rallies supporting increased security measures.
READ MORE: Kelowna rally to stop bus driver assaults