SEPTA to implement AI-powered cameras on 150 buses and 20 trolleys May 1
The Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) is launching artificial intelligence (AI)-powered cameras on Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) buses that will ticket drivers who park in bus lanes beginning May 1.
SEPTA says the smart cameras will capture images of cars stopped in bus lanes and parked at bus stops. The photos will be reviewed by PPA staff and violation notices sent out.
According to SEPTA, crews are mounting the AI cameras on 150 SEPTA buses and more than 20 trolleys. The cameras will be activated in mid-April, capturing images of cars stopped in bus lanes and parked at bus stops. SEPTA notes a car parked in an actual bus lane that’s stopping and hindering traffic will result in a $101 ticket. Double parking in Center City is a $76 ticket.
In 2023, SEPTA partnered with Hayden AI on a 70-day camera-assisted bus lane and stop technology pilot on Bus Routes 21 and 42. There was no cost to SEPTA for the pilot program. The camera system was mounted inside buses and automatically detected illegally parked vehicles on the Chestnut Street and Walnut Street bus lanes and at bus stops.
SEPTA says the seven buses equipped with the pilot system have recorded on average more than 4,000 incidences of parking in bus lanes or bus stops per week. The agency notes that while no tickets were issued during the pilot program, the demonstration helped to show the scope of the illegal parking problem impacting transit.
SEPTA notes that on Nov. 9, 2023, then-Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney signed into law Bill No. 230489, entitled “Camera-Based Enforcement System For Parking, Stopping and Standing Violations That Interfere With Mass Transit.”
The agency notes the city ordinance is what allows PPA and SEPTA to employ the use of camera-based parking enforcement technology on its buses to target illegally parked vehicles blocking transit stops and bus lanes, with the goal of decreasing traffic congestion, improving traffic safety and addressing the climate crisis in Philadelphia.
The ordinance allows for camera-based enforcement on Bainbridge and Spring Garden streets from river to river, as well as the entirety of JFK Boulevard, Walnut, Chestnut and Market streets.
SEPTA says the legislation improves transportation for all Philadelphians, especially those with disabilities, as parking infractions create prohibitive and dangerous scenarios for wheelchair users. Blocked bus stops and curb ramps create serious safety and accessibility issues, especially for seniors and riders with disabilities, as bus operators cannot safely deploy the wheelchair access ramp when the bus stop is blocked.
The agency notes vehicles illegally parked at bus and trolley stops prevent accessible boarding and cause further delay by increasing boarding and alighting time. Addressing illegal parking in bus lanes and at transit stops is expected to improve transit reliability, trip times and safety and promote safe and accessible boarding.
