The camera system, which uses artificial intelligence to detect illegal parking at bus stops and illegal driving in bus lanes, will initially prompt law enforcement to give out warnings to drivers before $110 fines for violations are implemented on Oct. 7.
Developed by San Francisco-based company Hayden AI, the cameras are connected to an onboard computer that analyzes the footage for violations, AC Transit said. When a violation is detected, the camera records a 10-second video clip, a picture of the offender's license plate and a timestamp, then sends that information to law enforcement for review, the bus agency said.
While it's expanding the program to 100 buses on Wednesday, AC Transit said it has experimented with the new system on its highest ridership line since June. It replaced an older system that needed to be manually activated and had identified more than 1,100 potential violations in the almost six-week trial, AC Transit officials said.
After review by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, nearly 800 resulted in citations compared to just 22 citations from the older cameras.
According to a June 2023 staff memo to the AC Transit Board of Directors, a 2022 trial of Hayden AI technology produced almost 10 citations per bus every day.
To counter privacy concerns about AI technology, AC Transit said the cameras will be focused on the road, not recording anything inside the bus, and the cameras also will not be equipped with facial recognition software.
AC Transit officials said the agency will destroy any video of violations within 60 days of their resolution and any video of non-violations within 15 days.
