Question: Whatever happened to the 30-day trial period scheduled to test video surveillance cameras on 10 city buses slated to begin Nov. 29? How many TheBus vehicles are now equipped with the technology?

Answer: The official test period didn’t begin until late January because of technical difficulties and has yet to conclude, said Ralph Faufata, vice president of Oahu Transit Services.

Faufata said the system, made up of several cameras mounted inside and outside the bus that monitor passengers as well as other drivers, won’t be expanded until the trial period ends.

"Probably by the end of March, (the test on) the minifleet will officially end, and we’ll start to move into the install (period) shortly after (that)," he said, adding that the 30-day trial period was extended to work out problems.

Once the 10-bus test period finishes, Faufata said, work will begin on completing the first phase of the project by installing cameras on 48 more buses. That work should be completed by the end of May, he said.

Faufata said problems with wirelessly downloading the video footage from the bus to a main computer server held up the test period.

"It is a new system, and (for) our first install we just wanted to make sure everything was done right before we actually started the tests," he said. "Now all we just have to do is just give it some time."

Faufata explained that the six-camera internal/external systems (eight cameras on longer buses) were always recording and storing video on each bus’ hard drive, but the footage didn’t consistently transfer wirelessly to the central control system when specific footage was earmarked for viewing.

"It’s not a question of whether we’re recording video," he said. "(The wireless download connection) just was spotty at times, so we just want to make sure it’s stable."

Since rolling out the camera-equipped buses, OTS has been able to use footage to review accidents and verify complaints by manually removing the hard drive from the bus — which happened because of problems downloading the data, Faufata said.

"The fix is stable and everything is working (now)," he said. "We’re pretty happy with it.

"One of the beauties of the system is you don’t have to go out and touch the bus," Faufata said.

The second and third phases don’t have start dates yet, but Faufata said they will consist of 50 buses each and be completed by the end of this year. He added that the city is also expecting 48 new buses already equipped with the cameras to be delivered by late summer.

By the end of 2012, there should be about 206 camera-equipped buses traveling Oahu’s roadways. Phases will continue until all 525 city buses are fitted with the cameras.

The first three phases have a price tag of $1.03 million, 80 percent of which is being funded by the Federal Transit Administration, with the city paying the rest ($205,114). Faufata said those numbers are still valid despite the trial period delay.

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This update was written by Sarah Zoellick. Suggest a topic for “Whatever Happened To …” by writing Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu 96813; call 529-4747; or email cityeditors@staradvertiser.com.