Big Apple Bus-Busters Are A Bust

There are times when getting stuck in a bus might be a good thing. That’s what Homeland Security and some officials here in New York City think anyway. What they're planning for is to reduce the threat of a hostile takeover of a bus by terrorists. They intend to combat terrorists with technology. Here’s how their device works. In the event of trouble, the bus driver hits a panic switch which alerts both the bus company and the device’s manufacturer in Pennsylvania. A device connected to the bus’s computer system automatically relays details about the bus’ location, speed and direction. The dispatcher notifies authorities. Then, they have the option to slow the bus to 5 miles per hour or to turn the engine off without the ability to restart it. Great idea, right? Many private bus companies have already received millions of dollars to install this new, high-tech gadget. Many have. However, NYC Transit is still testing GPS on 155 of their 4,500 bus fleet. They’ve yet to install any of these potentially disaster-saving devices. I guess Transit officials there aren’t too concerned about a terror attack in New York City. Perhaps they were out of town on a bus trip the morning of 9/11. Maybe they haven’t gotten the news headlines from that day yet. High-tech security in buses requires vision. Some had vision of sorts in the 1930's (see picture below). Some have it now. Others don't. Let’s speed things up, Transit guys!