With a $6 million federal Homeland Security grant, hundreds of San Francisco’s Muni buses will soon have high-tech video surveillance cameras the transit agency can survey in real-time.

While the transit system uses a CCTV system now, it is more than 10 years old, requires much upkeep, and footage is stored on tapes within each vehicle that must be brought to an office and viewed.

The grant will pay for the installation of video CCTV systems on 358 Muni buses, according to city documents. The project also includes installation of wireless networks, computers and servers at three bus yards “that will enable SFMTA personnel to view, download and store the captured video images wirelessly and view them in real-time or through the Internet.”

These new high-tech CCTV cameras will be the latest addition to live-recording technology around The City. Taxi cabs have installed new recording devices capturing activity inside and outside the vehicle. In 2005, The City began installing police CCTV cameras, and 71 cameras now monitor 24 locations.

There have been heated debates about allowing law enforcement to monitor these cameras in real time, but opposition has fought the idea.

Staff attorney Linda Lye with the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California said the proposal raises a number of questions.

Those details have yet to be hashed out by the agency.