Kansas City, Missouri, is considering the use of facial recognition cameras on some public buses to enhance security by matching passengers’ images against lists maintained by the transit authority, including alerts involving missing persons or banned riders. According to reports, the project would run live facial recognition on footage captured aboard buses and immediately check images against active watch lists. After service, the transit authority would store standard video footage on a local server for up to five years.
Supporters describe the proposal as an expansion of existing camera use on buses, with Kansas City officials citing mobility and strategy leadership as moving forward with local and federal funding despite earlier state reluctance. The state of Missouri reportedly declined to help fund the initiative due to concerns specifically tied to facial recognition.
Opponents argue that deploying the technology in public spaces raises privacy issues and have characterized the effort as a test of new surveillance tools. One cited civil liberties perspective argues that public transit should not become a venue for “unproven” and potentially biased facial recognition technology.
One report also states organizers halted the effort just before launch that was expected for spring.
