Recently, a video went viral on social media showing a bus driver in Cubatão, São Paulo, unintentionally activating a panic button on the vehicle’s dashboard.
This emergency device, also known as a “panic button”, was designed to be used in dangerous and critical circumstances within a collective.
A SPTrans reported that this system will be implemented across the city’s entire public bus fleet by the end of the year.
Furthermore, other Brazilian cities are also planning to introduce this mechanism into their public transport systems, with the aim of improving safety and speeding up response in dangerous situations.
How important is the ‘panic button’?
Photo: Marcio James/Reproduction
The “panic button” is a warning device emergency which should only be activated in cases of risk or critical situations inside the buses.
It aims to send an alert to the SPTrans Operation Center and the concessionary company responsible for the vehicle, allowing the occurrence to be monitored and immediate requests from security agencies, such as the police and SAMU.
The city of Manaus (AM) also intends to launch the device soon. IMMU, responsible for urban mobility in the capital of Amazonas, stated that the button can be activated in cases of robberies, fights or situations that require the immediate presence of the police.
In the Federal District, the situation is different, as the District Law that required the installation of panic buttons on buses was judged unconstitutional due to formal defects.
Rules for installing and using the panic button
Senate Bill (PL) 685/22 establishes some rules for implementing the button on buses. The device must be installed discreetly, but with easy access to the driver and the collector (if any).
During activation and use, the button must be silent so as not to alert the author of a possible threat. The operation is similar to the method used by women as a precaution against domestic violence, aimed at quickly notifying authorities to provide assistance on public transport.
This helps protect both passengers and public transport workers, providing safer travel.
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