Saturday 13 October 2012

Taking liberties on the buses

With the bus strike now over I want to raise a couple of issues regarding buses that may otherwise have been lost in the strike debate.

On the 11th October, it was reported that CCTV surveillance cameras will be introduced  on the new buses at the behest of the States of Jersey.   See   http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-19909592

I am not aware there has been a spate of on bus crime to prompt this.  More worryingly there appears, that I am aware, no debate on the implications of this move.  Perhaps the States think it only affects the poor and a few idealist environmentalists who actually use the buses, and they are not worthy of having their civil liberties considered?

So what is the rationale for this move?  Who is viewing the tapes, and how are they and the tapes managed? How long are they kept, and who has access to them?  Has our ever vigilant Data Protection Registrar anything to say on the implications of this when individuals are identifiable?


My second point arises from a recent visit to Les Quennevais school. It seems the school buses leave ten minutes after the end of the normal school day.  What's wrong with that?  At secondary school there are numerous very beneficial after school activities in which students are encouraged to participate.  How do those dependent on the buses do that if the buses leave immediately after standard hours? It seems to me if the buses left at say quarter past four everyone would have some opportunity to partake of the out of hours activities.  Even if students did not want to take up the activities, they could use the extra time to use the computer facilities and library to  do their homework.  A benefit surely to those who don't have access at home.  It seems to me to be a generally  better option for almost all, so why not change the afternoon school bus times?


4 comments:

  1. Mark

    CCTV is standard on CT Plus buses here and in the UK, and have been on all the Guernsey ones since they took over the service. In fact, in a discussion of drivers being rude, it was suggested that management look at the CCTV.

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  2. Yes Tony, it is true the cameras are standard on Ct Plus buses. However it misses the important point of why the States demanded it as part of the contract requirements. It also does not answer concerns over who keeps, views and otherwise has access the recordings, and under what conditions. Since the States insisted on it, and they are contracting the company, perhaps the States owns them? What happens to them when the contract expires, and say another company is appointed?

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  3. "At secondary school there are numerous very beneficial after school activities in which students are encouraged to participate"

    Agreed, and most of them last a lot later than 16:15pm?

    "Even if students did not want to take up the activities, they could use the extra time to use the computer facilities and library to do their homework."

    I think the extra time which would have to be made up by the teachers to facilitate this would be very unpopular with them!

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  4. Why the States demanded it as part of the contract requirements?

    If I was cynical, I'd say they'd already decided on CT Plus and wanted to bend the contract requirements their way!

    Equally, if it is standard, there could be a cost element to removal. So they retrospectively adjusted the contract to say they wanted it!

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