The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District, Calif., (AC Transit) announced that 100 buses will be equipped with artificial intelligence (AI)-powered cameras to detect vehicles illegally stopped or parked at bus stops.
AC Transit said that beginning this month, automated camera citations for illegally parked or stopped vehicles will be expanded to cover bus stops on all bus lines throughout the AC Transit service area. The AI-powered cameras will detect and issue citations to any vehicle, including taxis, Uber and Lyft, and delivery trucks, that are stopped or parked at AC Transit bus stops.
The new roll out marks an expansion of AC Transit’s use of automated cameras equipped with AI. Previously, AC Transit evaluated the effectiveness in detecting illegal stopping and parking at AC Transit’s highest ridership bus line.
AC Transit explained that during the initial 60 days, motorists identified by law enforcement as violating the bus stop law will receive a warning notice that will be sent to the vehicle’s registered owner by USPS mail. However, beginning Oct. 7, warnings will be replaced with a $110 citation, which will also be issued via USPS mail.
The 100 buses that will be used for this initiative are equipped with two small forward-facing cameras mounted on the front windshield to detect potential bus stop violations. The technology was developed by California-based Hayden AI and uses innovative computer vision to monitor bus stops for potential parking violations. AC Transit explained that instead of sending the data to a central server, an onboard processor analyzes the information in real-time.
When a violation is detected, the system creates a 10-second video of the violation, a photo of the license plate, and the time and location of the incident. Then, the evidence package is transmitted to a secure cloud accessible only by transit law enforcement. Trained law enforcement, and not the AI software, review the evidence packages and determine if a citation should be issued to the registered vehicle owner.
