All of the buses in the Metro fleet are now equipped with a drivecam system, which records incidents for later review.
Metro recently released a cache of the drivecam videos from August to September to WTOP through a Public Access to Records Policy request showing drivers involved in collisions and close calls.
Some of the clips depict drivers hitting parked vehicles, running through stop signs, and hitting pedestrians.
"We look at drivecam as coachable moments," Ted Harris, Metro's acting superintendent of bus transportation told WTOP. Harris told WTOP many drivers are dismissed after a single accident. He said 30 bus drivers have been fired since Feb. 28. 2011.
Before hitting the roads, Metro puts drivers through a two-month training.
“We're one of the most congested cities in the country,” Jack Requa, Metro's operations chief, told News4 in an earlier interview. "Things are not getting any better, so we've got to do everything we can to get our operators prepared to deal with those on a regular basis.”
