Bodycams on Hanover public transport: What passengers need to know

Passengers on Hanover’s buses and trams may soon encounter security staff wearing cameras on their uniforms. Üstra, the city’s public transport operator, has asked its subsidiary protec to test bodycams in a six-month pilot project.

The company says the cameras should help de-escalate conflicts and protect passengers and employees. The visible prospect of being recorded may also deter misconduct, while footage could document incidents. The pilot will assess whether the technology works in daily operations.

Bodycams will be issued gradually to protec’s patrol staff. All employees in that unit are due to receive them by the end of February 2027. About 80 of protec’s more than 300 employees work on security in stations, at stops, and on buses and trams. They carry out about 15,000 operations a year, according to the company.

The cameras may be used only in places where protec exercises property rights, including vehicles, stops, tunnel stations and the Niki de Saint Phalle Promenade. They will remain visible on uniforms, which will carry additional markings.

According to Üstra, recordings will be permitted only to protect employees or other people, de-escalate situations, preserve evidence or enforce property rights. Staff must announce the start of a recording verbally, and a red LED will illuminate. The cameras record video only, not conversations. A pre-recording function captures the 90 seconds before the recording officially begins.

Security staff and their managers cannot view or evaluate the footage. Access will be possible only after a request from authorities, through a team outside the security operation. Footage that is not needed will be deleted automatically after three days, and people affected should receive an information card. Üstra estimates the pilot’s equipment and software will cost about 65,000 euros, with annual operating costs of roughly 15,000 euros.