HCM City plans to install surveillance cameras to prevent sexual harassment and theft on buses, according to the city's Public Transport Management and Operations Centre.

A representative from the centre said that most bus and coach companies supported the idea to install cameras on their vehicles. Three cameras would be installed on each bus, including two inside and one at the front of the bus.

Companies are scheduled to start installing cameras on existing vehicles in the third quarter of this year.

New vehicles that belong to the city would have camera's installed before they hit the streets, according to the centre.

The cost will amount to 13 million VND (600 USD) for camera installation on each bus and 400,000 VND (19 USD) per month to operate them, so companies plan to ask for the city's support.

Chairman of the May 19 Bus Co-operative Nguyen Van Trieu said that cameras would help improve the quality of bus services, supervising numbers and the driver and conductor.

The co-operative has already installed cameras on 51 buses running on route 33 from An Suong Station to Suoi Tien and the HCM City National University. The remaining vehicles will be ready by the end of next year. The co-operative currently has total 430 buses running on 18 routes.

The city currently has nearly 2,800 buses operating on 107 subsidised routes and 400 buses running on 32 non-subsidised routes.-VNA