MARTA is installing cameras on buses in hope of both making the public feel safer on transit and deterring criminals and obnoxious patrons.

The transit system is installing the camera systems on seven buses. Each bus will have 11 cameras and a monitor that will allow patrons to view their surroundings. MARTA, the nation’s ninth largest transit system, plans to have cameras on all buses by next June and to start installing them on rail cars next April.

The board of directors approved the $17 million system last year after drivers said they wanted enhanced security because of physical and verbal assaults by patrons. Transit officials say the data also will help MARTA police investigate crimes, resolve customers’ complaints and settle accident claims.