Chinese bus firm adopts analysis tech to prevent accidents

Shanghai : A Chinese bus company here has installed cameras equipped with facial recognition and image analysis technology in some of its buses to prevent accidents due to driver action.

The round-the-clock surveillance cameras will capture every movement and facial expression of the driver -- irregular behaviours or violations like making phone calls, smoking or dozing off --, said an official of the Shanghai Jiushi Bus Company.

"When monitoring an abnormal behaviour, the system will react and report to back-end staff within five to 10 seconds," Xinhua quoted Xia Zhirong as saying.

Then once the bus reaches its destination, the driver would be taken away for further probe.

The company that operates 55 per cent of Shanghai's bus lines will equip 2,000 buses with the cameras before November. The firms annual transport capacity is 1.3 billion rides.