Could you answer the following questions: Do bus operating companies share on bus cctv footage/data with tfl, if so for what reasons? What reasons do tfl request on bus cctv footage from bus operating companies? Do TFL request on bus cctv footage from bus operating companies as a means of evidence that a bus has run in service, where the bus GPS has failed?

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Our ref: FOI-2262-2021/GH

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 8 February 2021 asking for information about bus CCTV.

Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy. I can confirm that we do hold the information you require.

Do bus operating companies share on bus cctv footage/data with tfl, if so for what reasons?

In general, bus operators do not share on-bus CCTV footage. It is retained for around 240 hours on the vehicle’s hard drive before it over writes. As there are around 9,000 buses in the fleet, it is not practical to share such vast amounts of digital data. There are exceptions where the operator might share footage of a serious safety incident on one of it’s vehicles. The most common sharing involves the Met Police requesting pictures of an incident as an authorised user in connection with a crime and the operator downloading and saving these offline for that purpose

What reasons do tfl request on bus cctv footage from bus operating companies?

See above. In some circumstances, operators might share CCTV of incidents to help us understand safety or accessibility issues.

Do TFL request on bus cctv footage from bus operating companies as a means of evidence that a bus has run in service, where the bus GPS has failed?

We do not use CCTV as a back up when the iBus tracking system has failed. There are separate processes for recording and verifying operated mileage.

If this is not the information you are looking for, please do not hesitate to contact me.

If you are considering submitting a further FOI request please think carefully about whether the request is essential at this current time, as answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. Where requests are made, please note that our response time may be impacted by the current situation.

If you are not satisfied with this response please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Graham Hurt

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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