The City of Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus is completing testing of camera-based bus lane and bus stop enforcement technology on Route 3 and Rapid 3. The bus-mounted system automatically detects illegally parked vehicles in bus lanes and at bus stops along the routes. Hayden AI has partnered with Big Blue Bus on the 45-day pilot. The pilot is at no cost to Big Blue Bus and no citations will be issued during the pilot.
Over the course of this pilot, 511 parking violations obstructing safe and reliable transit service were detected. The location with the most bus lane parking violations (90 in total) was southbound Lincoln Boulevard near its intersection with Grant Street. The bus stop with the most parking violations – 21 violations – was northbound 4th St. at Santa Monica Place.
Automated bus lane and bus stop enforcement is proven to improve bus speed and reliability, safety, and sustainability. Illegally parked vehicles at bus stops slow down bus service and prevent buses from pulling up to the curb, which makes boarding the bus unsafe and inaccessible to people with disabilities. Additionally, illegal parking and driving in bus lanes keep hundreds of riders from reaching their destinations reliably.
“Improving public transportation is one of the best things we can do to improve sustainability,” said Chris Carson, CEO and co-founder of Hayden AI. “We’re grateful to the visionary leaders at Big Blue Bus for making Santa Monica the next city to deploy this effective technology. Our goal is to provide Big Blue Bus with the data they need to better understand the true impact that parking in bus lanes and at bus stops has on the thousands of riders who rely on public transit every day.”
Hayden AI is contracting with AC Transit in the Bay Area to deploy automated bus lane and bus stop enforcement technology, and has installed more than 650 AI-powered, interior bus-mounted camera systems throughout the country helping to increase compliance with dedicated bus lane stopping, riding and bus stop parking rules.
