Hayden AI has successfully completed the first phase of expansion for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) automated bus lane enforcement (ABLE) program, with 300 mobile perception systems installed between August and December 2022. Bus routes in Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island were included in the nine additional Select Bus Service (SBS) routes activated this year. Ultimately, the goal of the ABLE program is to increase bus speeds in all five New York City boroughs.
In August 2022, the MTA awarded a contract with Hayden AI to install ABLE systems on as many as 500 buses by June 2023. Subsequently, the MTA plans to install ABLE systems on a minimum of 600 more buses in 2023.
As per New York state law, warnings are issued for the first 60 days after ABLE is installed on each route to alert drivers to the new enforcement system. Prior to the addition of the new Hayden AI systems, the MTA’s existing ABLE installation on the M14 SBS route resulted in a 24 percent increase in bus speeds and 14 percent more weekday riders, as well as 40 percent fewer crashes along the route. In Manhattan overall, routes with ABLE are five percent faster than the borough average.
ABLE has proven to successfully change driver behavior, helping to keep bus lanes clear for buses. As of October 2022, 80 percent of drivers who committed a parking violation in a bus lane did not commit a second violation.
“It’s an honor to partner with the MTA to improve bus service with our mobile perception platform,” said Chris Carson, CEO and co-founder of Hayden AI. “Increasing transit ridership requires increasing bus speeds and improving schedule reliability. Our ABLE platform was built by transit riders for transit riders to do exactly that. We’re excited to continue our work with the MTA to keep bus lanes clear for buses.”
