Mirrors that hang off the sides of the MTA’s buses keep clipping objects on the street, MTA officials said, so the transit agency plans to test out electronic cameras and screens as an alternate way to help drivers see the road.
The MTA on Wednesday said the agency’s buses were in about 1,800 collisions last year, and about a quarter of those involved the bulky side mirrors. In many cases, officials said the mirrors clipped outdoor dining structures.
In the coming weeks, the agency said it plans to launch a pilot program that replaces the side mirrors on some buses with technology similar to backup cameras. With the new technology, drivers would simply have to look at a digital screen inside their bus to see what is happening around them.
NYC Transit President Richard Davey said it’s a cost-cutting measure that’s part of the MTA’s push to find $400 million in savings to balance the agency’s budget next year. He said repairs and settlement fees from buses hitting objects and other vehicles add up.
“It’s driving up our maintenance costs, it’s driving up legal settlements, and so e-mirrors, literally cameras and screens that would replace the mirrors, is something we’re looking at,” Davey said.
By the end of the year the MTA also plans to come up with a new design for barriers that drivers sit behind. The new designs would fully or partially enclose the driver, protecting them from being assaulted or spat on by passengers. Davey said the e-mirrors could be useful with a new cockpit because light glaring on the protective barriers could prevent drivers from seeing their mirrors.
Transport Workers Union Local 100 has for years called for better protections for bus drivers.
“We’ve been strenuously advocating for bus operator cockpits to protect our members from the onslaught of assaults and abuse – so this potentially is great news,” Local 100 President Richard Davis said. “The MTA appears to be taking real steps towards making this major safety…
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