TORRANCE : Council Rejects Bus Locater System
Torrance will not spend $1.1 million to install a high-tech vehicle locater on city buses, the City Council decided Tuesday.
City Manager LeRoy J. Jackson said the city will improve safety for bus drivers by purchasing an “off-the-shelf” radio system instead.
The vehicle locater system uses satellites to automatically relay the position of the bus when the driver presses an alarm. The system would have been custom-built for the city, Jackson said.
Funding from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a major contributor to the project, is uncertain, so city staff recommended rejecting the costly satellite system. The council vote was unanimous.
The city Transportation Department had recommended the system after six bus drivers were assaulted by passengers in six years. The city has been using security guards on some routes.
Jackson said the city will look for a much simpler system, which he expects to bring back for council review in about 60 days. Funding for the system will come from a $300,000 federal Urban Mass Transportation Administration grant.
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