Video Rides The Bus

• By Phil Britt
• Jun 20, 2007

Foothill Transit, the second-largest fixed-route bus system in Los Angeles County, California, is installing an Internet Protocol (IP) networked video system from Verint Systems Inc. of Melville, New York, that manages cameras and DVRs throughout its fleet, using Ethernet networks, high-speed wireless connections and video analytics.

The American Public Transportation Authority (APTA) estimates more than 14 million people use public transportation each weekday. State and local transit authorities around the country are investing in video surveillance to proactively address security threats, promote optimal response in emergency situations and mitigate the risk of liability claims through more comprehensive incident investigation.

“Video will be everywhere in the next 10 years,” says Joe Freeman, an independent security analyst based in Newton, Connecticut. “It’s being used increasingly in train stations, on school buses around the country and also for pedestrian traffic. What we’re looking at is protection of the public wherever they are.”

“Smart Bus”

For Foothill Transit, its video system is a critical element of its “smart bus” program designed to give better service to its almost 15 million customers per year in the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys.

Foothill’s fleet of 314 buses covers a route system of 327 square miles. With increasing congestion on the roads and highways its vehicles travel, it became critical that Foothill Transit increase the efficiency of its fleet operations, including its surveillance capabilities, according to Doran Barnes, Foothill Transit’s executive director.

Barnes says the bus company chose IP video for its ease of use: the open platform permits easy networking within the video system as well as integration with other security applications that use the protocol.

“The video [surveillance] system is part of our “smart bus” program, which includes global positioning systems, vehicle locator technology, global positioning equipment [and] automating of dispatchers and coach operators,” he says.

Working with an outside consultant, Foothill Transit began by conducting a needs assessment in late 2004. Selecting a solution took nearly two years as the agency identified its needs, sought contractors, made its purchase decision and began installation. Implementation started in November 2006 and is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2007.

Better Images

Foothill wanted to avoid the grainy, black-and-white, poor quality video common in many convenience stores. These cameras might serve as a deterrent in some cases -- just knowing one is under surveillance can prevent some crimes -- but are far too poor in quality to use in many litigation cases.

Agency officials sought a system that first and foremost offered a user-friendly search function. Also important was the ability to provide quality video in low-light conditions, such as overcast days, and at night.

Foothill looked at packaged offerings (video, GPS and other components) from three contractors, including the eventual contract winner, Orbital Sciences Corp.’s Transportation Management Division based in Dulles, Virginia. Orbital offered the Nextiva video system from Verint.

Orbital had another video technology option, according to Chris Buchko, the company’s program manager, but had no bias toward either. Orbital previously had installed a similar networked video system for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority. For Foothill Transit, however, Buchko says, “Verint offered a better value proposition.”

The Verint system itself is a component of Orbital’s OrbCad system, which includes computer-aided dispatch, automatic vehicle location systems and related technologies for monitoring and control of fleet resources in real-time. Foothill Transit is one of about 20 transportation systems with the OrbCad system. Other Orbital customers include Los Angeles County, Tri-Met in Portland, Oregon, and the Denver Regional Transportation District.

Growing Use

The video system for Foothill Transit is one of only a handful that Orbital has installed so far, but several more could be forthcoming, says Buchko. “It’s in all the requests for proposals we get now,” he says.

The main reason for the increased interest in digital video surveillance systems, Buchko says, is 9/11 and the July 2005 bombings of the London transit system. Installation of security cameras is one of the APTA’s suggestions for low-cost ways to deter terrorism.

Another reason to add video systems to bus fleets is protection from legal liability, says Freeman.

According to the Federal Transit Administration, there were 6,802 collisions involving buses in 2004, the last year for which full statistics are available. Data reported includes about 560 of the largest transit agencies. The more accurately such events can be documented, the more public agencies can protect themselves in today’s litigious society.

“There’s been a huge increase in parents’ lawsuits [for school bus incidents],” Freeman says.

Also, if the contractors who operate the buses can keep their initial insurance and liability costs lower, Foothill Transit benefits by receiving lower contractor fees, say system officials.

Safety Drive

Safety was another concern, according to Barnes. The video, which is linked to a g-force sensor on each bus, can show near-misses as well as actual accidents, so it can be used to help in safety training.

“We have a strong commitment to safety,” Barnes says. The APTA recognized Foothill Transit in 2001 with its “Bus Safety Gold Award,” dubbing the transit agency the safest of its size. The Greater Los Angeles chapter of the National Safety Council gave Foothill Transit first place awards for the agency’s safety programs in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2001.

Foothill also wanted to ensure efficient operations for its transit system. “We needed the technology to maintain the effectiveness of our system,” says Barnes.

The video system provides a comprehensive picture of activity in and around each vehicle. Each bus has six cameras, all mounted inside the vehicle. One is focused on the bus operator and front door. One mounted on the windshield looks out the front window; another in front looks to the back of the bus. One near the rear door and two more in the back of the bus look outside.

The cameras are hardwired via Ethernet connections to a digital video recorder on each bus.

The recorders store information on internal removable drives locked in cabinets on each vehicle accessible only by authorized personnel, says George Karbowski, Foothill Transit director of operations. The recorders store seven to eight days of video before the removable drive needs to be changed or recorded over. The recordings themselves are “snapshots” of actual events, unless automatically tagged by the g-force monitoring system or tagged by the operator himself as the result of “internal incidents” such as fights or vandalism.

The video is integrated with the g-force monitoring system on each vehicle. Any time a driver exceeds a certain g-force, the video is tagged so that the five minutes before and five minutes after the event are locked on the removable drive and can’t be recorded over until reviewed by Foothill officials. In the event of an accident or near-accident, this makes it easy to locate video that shows exactly what was going on inside and outside the vehicle at the time of the incident.

If there are any incidents, the tagged video is downloaded in one-minute bursts via a 1 megabit per second (Mb/s) wireless connection when the bus pulls into Foothill Transit’s dispatch area.

Because installation of all units wasn’t to be completed until early in 2007, it’s still too soon to determine actual benefits, according to Barnes. But he expects the system to produce lower long-term costs for the agency because contractors will limit their own liability costs and have better proof of innocence in the event of a dispute.

There are no immediate plans to make real-time, live video available directly from the cameras to the corporate office, though Buchko says that would be the next logical step.