Survey Results Based on 61 Public Transit Stakeholders Worldwide Provided Insights on the Usage of Video Surveillance in Transit Systems.
Nationwide, United States
International Trends in Video Surveillance - Public Transportation Gets Smarter
Summary Information
Video surveillance is a technology commonly used in public transportation, especially for enhancing security. In 2015, Union Internationale des Transports Publics (UITP), together with Axis Communications, conducted a survey among public transportation organizations to gain insights into the usage of video surveillance in public transport. An encore of that survey was carried out in the years 2017 and 2018, which facilitated an analysis of the evolution of the video surveillance technology over the years since the first survey. This study summarized the findings from the second survey, conducted worldwide, and had 61 respondents comprising of public transport operators, several public transport authorities, and a handful of infrastructure managers. While most respondents operate within urban areas, some extend their services to regional, state-wide, and even international areas. Notably, 67 percent of the respondents come from Western Europe, with the remainder spread across Asia Pacific, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America.
METHODOLOGY
The survey respondents represented a variety of public transit modes including bus, trolleybus, light rail, tram, metro, commuter rail, main line rail and ferry. Almost all the respondents had video surveillance already installed and operational, with a small number planning to install within 12 months.
FINDINGS
- Results showed that the average number of cameras per network increased by almost 70 percent, from around 2.9 cameras to 4.9 cameras between 2015 and 2018.
- A positive shift was observed in the perception of the video surveillance technology by public over the three-year period from 2015 to 2018, as revealed by the 8 percent points increase in the proportion of public supporting the use of the technology (from 65 percent to 73 percent).
- A 14 percent points growth was observed in the amount of surveillance equipment on-board rolling stock, from 76 percent to 90 percent.
- Growth in video surveillance digitization was evident with a 7 percent points decrease in the number of public transport networks with only analog cameras (from 25 percent to 18 percent) and a 13 to 14 percent points rise in hybrid systems (merging analog camera and internet protocol or encoder-adapted cameras).
- The survey also revealed a 4 percent point increase in the level of real (not perceived) security (fewer crimes, fare evasion etc.) when comparing 2015 and 2018 results (change from 76 percent to 80 percent).
