Kansas City to deploy AI facial recognition on buses

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Kansas City is preparing to become one of the first transit system in the country to install AI facial recognition cameras on its buses, a move officials say will improve safety.

The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority plans to equip up to 30 buses with the technology, funded by local and federal dollars after Missouri declined to provide funding over civil liberties and privacy concerns.

The system is designed to identify banned riders, locate missing people and protect bus drivers, according to Tyler Means, KCATA’s chief mobility and strategy officer.

“We’re not looking to do anything nefarious. We’re not looking to steal anybody’s faces,” Means said. “The viewing is limited to only a small population. And we intend to keep it that way. I won’t even have a login. And that’s how I want to keep it.”

A spokesperson for the mayor’s office said the city was unaware of the new system.

“We were not informed of this initiative. We look forward to learning more about the safety purpose and privacy implications from our friends at KCATA,” the spokesperson said.

How the system works

The AI software will work with six existing cameras on each bus — two in the back, one facing the operator, one facing the door, and two looking forward and back onto the bus. The cameras will use a live feed to match faces against an existing database.

“If we have a banned rider list for any kind of interaction that they may have done on the bus — assault a bus driver, assault another rider — we could have the cameras detect this individual on the bus, allow us to respond with security or with police if needed,” Means said.

When the system detects a banned rider, it sends an alert to security and supervisors to intervene and ensure the person gets off the bus.

Currently, banned rider lists are kept in binders posted in break rooms. No driver can memorize every face, and if someone boards a different route with a different driver, that person may not know the rider is banned.

Privacy concerns and responses

Kansas City riders are divided on the technology.

“I think it’ll be pretty cool for the safety of — for me, the bus drivers, everybody else that rides the bus, especially senior citizens,” said Rodney Hughes, a bus rider.

But Jossuel Simpson, another rider, expressed skepticism.

“They’re just taking pictures of everybody’s faces without nobody’s consent. And they said it’s just to keep the banned riders — but is it real?” Simpson said.

Means said riders have been recorded on buses since about 2000, and every bus displays notices that passengers are being recorded.

“We’re not looking to keep faces. We’re only matching up to a database,” Means said. “If there’s nothing detected during that live feed time, it just goes in the archive like any of our other footage.”

The authority keeps archived footage for up to five years for law enforcement purposes or if lawyers request camera footage for lawsuits.

Additional uses and timeline

The system could also help locate missing children. KCATA can upload missing persons reports into the database to search for those faces.

“Finding a missing person, especially a missing child, is something that we should always be striving to do on our vehicles,” Means said.

The authority has been researching the technology for about a year. KCATA received federal grant funds from the Department of Justice, which were released this week. The pilot program will cost approximately $75,000 to $100,000 per year for up to two years, with a maximum cost of $150,000 to $200,000.

Installation is expected to begin in the next two to three months and take up to 60 days. KCATA hopes to launch a three to six month pilot in early fall.

The technology has been used in senior facilities and mental health facilities to prevent residents from leaving, but KCATA will be one of the first transit agencies to test it.

KCATA originally wanted to implement the system for the World Cup but was unable to secure funding at that time.