In a major policy shift aimed at addressing growing public dissatisfaction with service standards, National Bus Company (NBC) announced this week that it has begun outfitting its entire vehicle fleet with telematics tracking cameras, a move designed to closely monitor driver behavior and elevate overall passenger safety.
Anna Loague, chair of NBC’s board of directors, clarified that the new surveillance initiative was launched directly in response to a sustained surge in customer complaints about unsafe operating practices across the company’s network. The integrated system will transmit real-time data and live footage to a centralized control room, where trained staff will continuously track driving patterns, check for speed or rule violations, and identify when buses are operating with standing passengers that exceed legal capacity limits. To complement the new technology, NBC has also maintained a dedicated public complaints hotline that allows daily commuters to report safety or service issues linked to specific routes, creating a dual-layered feedback and monitoring system.
“At its core, this investment is all about delivering a more reliable, comfortable commuting experience for our riders, and above all, guaranteeing the safety of every person traveling on our roads,” Loague stated in an official briefing on the initiative.
Alongside the camera rollout, NBC is also expanding its fleet with additional conventional diesel buses, the majority of which have already entered service on high-demand routes and are operating according to published schedules. Loague explained that these extra vehicles are a temporary solution to ease overcrowding, as the company waits for a large shipment of new electric buses scheduled to arrive by the end of 2026. The electric fleet will eventually replace most of NBC’s aging conventional vehicles as part of the company’s long-term decarbonization strategy.
Despite NBC’s proactive steps, the issue of unauthorized standing passengers is not confined to the company, and remains a widespread systemic safety concern across the entire national public transportation sector. To crack down on the risky practice across all bus operators, Department of Transport CEO Chester Williams announced that the regulator is ramping up targeted enforcement operations to identify and penalize any carrier found operating with over-capacity standing passengers.
“Current legislation is very clear on this rule: if a bus is found carrying unauthorized standees, the driver will receive an immediate traffic ticket,” Williams noted. “The fine imposed for this violation will be far higher than any extra revenue an operator can collect from the standee, creating a strong disincentive for cutting corners on safety.” He added that the transport ministry is relying on consistent enforcement and financial penalties to deter bus operators from continuing the dangerous practice, which puts both passengers and other road users at increased risk of collisions and accidents.