A dashboard camera and a surveillance camera installed in a city bus in Mangaluru.
| Photo Credit: Raghava M.
As a precautionary measure to provide evidence in case of accidents or any traffic violations, private bus operators in Mangaluru have begun installing dashboard cameras in city buses.
In all, 30 of the 300 city buses have installed dashboard cameras in the last six months. The dashboard cameras have been installed in addition to surveillance cameras fixed inside the buses.
In addition to city buses, 50 private express buses plying between Mangaluru and Udupi, Kundapura and Kollur have also installed dashboard cameras.
Shridhar Mallad, Regional Transport Officer, Mangaluru, and member secretary of Dakshina Kannada District Road Transport Authority, said installation of surveillance camera facing commuters began after the department made it mandatory for all goods and public vehicles to install vehicle tracking devices and panic button for the safety of passengers.
The dashboard camera helps operators to provide the police videos and photographs in case of accidents and other traffic offences as evidence, which is now a mandatory requirement under the new Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, Mr. Mallad said.
An executive of Chalo Mobility Private Limited, which has tied up with Dakshina Kannada Bus Owners’ Association for installing GPS devices, surveillance cameras and providing mobility solutions, said installation of dashboard cameras started six months ago with a fleet of buses of Anthony Motors that operates on Route No.15. “After knowing its advantage, other bus operators are installing dashboard cameras,” the Chalo executive said.
In addition to providing evidence for traffic offences, the footage of the surveillance camera and the dashboard camera will help owners to have realistic information about movement of their buses, the number of commuters who have travelled in the bus and about brawls, if any, involving the bus crew, the Chalo executive said.
Published – July 01, 2025 06:14 pm IST