Huntington bus system to install surveillance cameras

Surveillance cameras and recording devices are set to be installed inside and on the outside of buses in the Huntington Town-operated HART bus system.

Officials say equipment will help with training in customer service and defensive driving and for insurance purposes.

The Huntington Town Board approved a $106,649.98 contract with Houston-based Safety Vision LLC to purchase and install video and audio recording devices and a stationary system for download, retention, playback and monitoring in the Huntington Area Rapid Transit, HART, bus depot in Huntington Station.

“This is something we’ve wanted to do for a number of years,” Stephen McGloin, the town’s director of transportation and traffic safety, said. “The insurance companies like it when we have cameras and it’s also a training tool for our bus operators when we can review what goes on in a bus and use that as part of our training program.”

Some of the system’s 26 buses will have six cameras while the larger ones will have seven. Each bus will feature one camera inside the bus facing forward recording from the driver’s perspective. The remaining cameras inside will be placed throughout the bus. The outside camera will be on the passenger side facing toward the back of the bus.

The Nassau County Inter County Express, or NICE, bus system has had cameras in and on its buses for several years, bus officials said. The Suffolk County Transit fixed route bus fleet does not have cameras, but the paratransit vehicle fleet has cameras, bus officials said.

HART is the only town-operated bus system on Long Island.

McGloin said he expects the equipment to be installed and running by May.

The contract was approved 5-0 at the December town board meeting.