Though the fate of city funding for bus service remains uncertain, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority will continue safety improvement efforts in anticipation of higher bus usage during the 2026 World Cup.
Within the next two to four months, the organization will add up to five AI-powered cameras per bus on select routes, according to Chuck Ferguson, the KCATA’s chief operations officer.
The cameras can analyze movement and shapes and even recognize the faces of missing and abducted people, automatically alerting authorities if a safety threat is detected.
“If you are being fed the information you need to know, instead of just wandering around looking for it,” Ferguson said, “[you] can direct the staff — the security staff, or the road supervision staff — immediately to a situation.”
The pilot program will last up to two years, funded by a fixed $50,000 per year grant from the state of Missouri. It may continue beyond then, if successful.
- Chuck Ferguson, chief operations officer, Kansas City Transportation Authority
