Madison Metro will continue to develop a plan to put cameras on its buses and around its transfer points in response to concerns of unruly, threatening or dangerous behavior.
The digital video cameras would also watch the drivers, Metro General Manager Catherine Debo told the Parking and Transit Commission Tuesday evening.
Although the commission voted unanimously to continue developing a plan to use surveillance, the project does not yet have firm figures on costs, and it would require additional approvals to go forward.
Debo said that the "drivers are very supportive" of the cameras, adding that they have "more to gain than to lose" with recorded footage of their workplace.
In addition to mounting cameras within buses, several cameras would watch the South Transfer Point, where students last spring allegedly attacked another young rider.
Debo said that the signal from the cameras would not likely be actively monitored, but would serve as a deterrent and create a record for investigations.
Most of the commission members said they saw some promise in a surveillance system. Member Kevin Hoag recalled riding Metro buses mounted with cameras in the past.
"It does change the behavior of the riders," he said. "I always felt safe as a rider when there was a camera."
Ald. Ken Golden, though, said that in reaction to safety concerns, "the emphasis on cameras was a little overdone."
He said he was not "morally opposed" to the idea, but questioned its cost and effectiveness.