The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) has become the latest transit agency to pilot Hayden AI’s camera-assisted bus lane and stop enforcement technology.
By using automated bus lane enforcement (ABLE) cameras, the agency hopes to improve the speed and reliability of its bus services.
Bus speeds in Philadelphia currently average at 8 miles per hour, which is slower than the national average of 13–14 miles per hour.
Each year, congestion in the city centre causes 1.7 million hours of passenger delay and adds 15.4 million USD to SEPTA’s operating costs.
Vehicles illegally parked at bus and trolley stops contribute to these delays and prevent accessible boarding.
SEPTA is therefore partnering with Hayden AI to conduct a 60-day trial of its camera-assisted bus lane and stop technology on routes 21 and 42.
Chris Carson, CEO and co-founder of Hayden AI said:Bus service should be rapid, accessible, and safe to board, but illegal parking in dedicated transit zones makes this impossible. We’ve seen our technology help keep bus lanes clear for buses in New York and are excited to assist SEPTA with this technology pilot in Philadelphia.
As part of this trial, a camera system has been mounted inside seven buses to automatically detect illegally parked vehicles on the Chestnut Street and Walnut Street bus lanes and at bus stops.
Although tickets are not being issued during the pilot programme, the demonstration aims to show the scope of the illegal parking problem impacting transit.
Since launching on 20 April, the seven SEPTA buses equipped with the pilot system have recorded on average over 4,000 incidences of parking in bus lanes or bus stops each week.
SEPTA General Manager and CEO Leslie S. Richards said:SEPTA is excited to explore how new technologies can help improve safety on the system, as well as the overall customer experience. This pilot programme will help us better identify areas where we are seeing bus lane violations and look at possible solutions, particularly as we move forward with Bus Revolution.
