Drivers face $76 fines as new 'automatic ticket' law takes effect
Starting Wednesday, drivers in Philadelphia will be monitored by cameras mounted to almost 200 pubic buses driving around the city.
The cameras scan streets for vehicles illegally parked in bus stops and no-parking zones. If one is spotted, the system snaps a photo and sends it to law enforcement, where an officer decides whether to issue the city's $76 parking fine.
Philadelphia joins cities like New York and Los Angeles in using automated camera enforcement.
While the technology is widespread in Europe — especially in the UK, where speed cameras blanket major roads — it's still relatively rare in the US.
'Gone are the days we're gonna tolerate people going through here with an attitude that, "I'll take my chances because I'll never get caught,"' said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. 'You will get caught.'
Philadelphia Parking Authority executive director Rich Lazer said the initiative is a collaboration among three city agencies, aimed at improving safety and easing traffic.
He added that the cameras will help reduce congestion and improve traffic flow.
Officials praised the tech, saying it will aid a police agency that has reported record low staffing and record high department vacancies.
They're also saying it will free up areas in bus stops where wheelchair users board, plus also speed up first responder times.
'It is another innovative step forward to keep Philadelphians safe and traffic moving smoothly,' Jim Kenney, the city's mayor, said.
'Thanks to these cameras, we are increasing efficiency in our streets to make our city even more accessible.'
The city says 152 SEPTA buses and 38 trolleys will get the ticketing tech.
On April 15, the city started sending warning tickets to drivers caught by the buses. They will replace the warnings with full-blown tickets starting May 7.
The $76 fines are for drivers caught near the Center City, while car owners illegally parked in other neighborhoods will face $51 fines.
New York City's MTA launched the automated camera enforcement (ACE) program that also mounted cameras onto hundreds of buses that monitor parking infractions.
The city will send tickets up to $76 to car owners starting May 7
Los Angeles also popped the cameras onto public buses last year. Officials announced the tech generated $1.6 million in payments from around 10,000 citations.
But as rule enforcement agencies are turning toward more technology to aid their enforcement, drivers are responding with other illegal tricks.
New York officials launched a crackdown on drivers removing their license plates from the back of their vehicles.
Without the plates, New York's buses — and its controversial Congestion Pricing tolls in Manhattan — are not able to assign fees to car owners.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Out
30-07-2025
- Time Out
Every single NYC subway signal upgrade is behind schedule—by years
Modern subway signals were supposed to be the magic fix for New York's beleaguered transit system. But according to a new report from an independent engineering consultant obtained by Gothamist, that magic wand is running on serious delay—like, years-long delay. The MTA's big-budget signal modernization program, which aims to replace 1930s-era technology with sleek communications-based train control (CBTC), is now officially a cautionary tale in capital planning. Of the four current upgrades in progress, every single one is behind schedule. The F line in southern Brooklyn? Running three years late. The A/C/E upgrade beneath Eighth Avenue? Delayed until at least late 2027—more than two years off the mark. And eastern Queens riders hoping for smoother F train service? Don't hold your breath until at least March 2028. The G train's saga might be the most painful of all: After months of summer shutdowns, the line won't be fully upgraded until July 2029—two years later than promised. So what's the holdup? At a public MTA meeting this week, officials pointed fingers in every direction: obsolete 4G transponders, contractor mistakes, not enough engineers trained to handle either the new CBTC or the old legacy systems being replaced. 'It's like having a cell phone from the year 2000,' said Jamie Torres-Springer, the MTA's construction chief, of the outdated tech still in use. Even completed projects have run off track. A recently finished signal upgrade in Queens was delivered four years late. Two active projects are already millions over budget, and yet the MTA is gearing up to spend another $5.4 billion on signal upgrades as part of its 2025–2029 capital plan. Much of the push for signal modernization began in 2018 under former Transit President Andy Byford, aka 'Train Daddy,' who famously brought in signal guru Pete Tomlin to oversee the work. But after a reorganization in 2019 shuffled responsibilities—and both Byford and Tomlin out the door—execution has been rocky. As the MTA preps to relaunch its Capital Program Dashboard this fall to better track these investments, one thing is clear: If CBTC is the future of New York transit, it's arriving on a very slow train.
Time Out
24-07-2025
- Time Out
More than 100 NYC subway stations will get new platform barriers by the year's end, says MTA
If you've noticed sleek new barriers popping up on some subway platforms, you're not imagining things—and they're about to get a whole lot more common. The MTA is barreling ahead with plans to install protective platform edge barriers at more than 100 stations by the end of 2025, part of a broader safety upgrade that includes brighter LED lighting and a sprawling security camera rollout. So far, 56 stations have received the new guardrails, and the MTA says it's on track to double that figure before the year's out. These partial-height barriers are designed to prevent riders from accidentally falling (or being pushed) onto the tracks—a concern voiced by 59-percent of recent survey respondents and a whopping 88-percent of seniors. 'We're making investments to ensure that our system not only is safe but—equally important—feels safe to riders,' said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. 'With new platform barriers, MTA's thousands of new security cameras, increased deployments from the NYPD, and 10% less crime before COVID, it's no wonder customer satisfaction has risen dramatically this year.' Governor Kathy Hochul, who first announced the initiative in her 2025 State of the State address, said safety will 'always be [her] number one priority.' In addition to the barriers, 342 stations have already been upgraded with new LED lights, with the rest scheduled by year's end. The MTA is leaning on its own in-house labor to manufacture and install the barriers—cutting costs and speeding up the rollout. Eligible stations were selected based on ridership, layout feasibility, and the presence of island platforms, with focus on the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, F, M and L lines. You can already spot barriers at spots like Wall Street, Grand Central (7), Clark Street, Astor Place, Bedford Avenue and Flushing–Main Street. Want to see if your station made the list? You can check here. Assemblymember Alex Bores called the barriers 'lifesaving tools,' noting they make people feel safer—and feeling safer encourages more riders to use the system, which in turn makes it safer overall. It's a virtuous cycle, sealed with steel and Plexiglas.
Time Out
17-07-2025
- Time Out
New digital MTA screens will make your NYC bus journey way easier
Waiting for the bus just got less of a guessing game, at least if you're on the Upper West Side or in Queensborough Hill. The MTA and NYC Department of Transportation have rolled out slick new digital screens that display real-time arrival info right at the bus stop. That's right: No phone, no app, no spinning wheel of death while you wait for the M11. The touch-screen devices were installed at four locations citywide on June 25 as part of a year-long pilot program aimed at making bus travel smarter and less stressful. On the Upper West Side, you'll find them at West 80th Street and Columbus Avenue and again between 74th and 75th on Columbus. In Queens, two additional screens are being tested in the low-key but lovely neighborhood of Queensborough Hill. The signs, created by Urban Solar, are battery-powered and pole-mounted. They show accurate, minute-by-minute wait times for upcoming buses—in this case, lines like the M7, M11 and crosstown M79. They're part of the 2024 Transit Tech Lab Challenge and represent a next-gen upgrade from the audio-based real-time updates currently available at more than 500 city bus stops. 'Providing bus riders with real-time information on bus time arrival is a powerful tool that will help New Yorkers to better manage their commutes,' a DOT spokesperson said in a statement. Translation: You'll know exactly when to hustle or grab a coffee instead. Two different screen types are being tested and the DOT is actively collecting rider feedback via user surveys over the next 12 months. Depending on how riders respond (and whether the tech holds up in winter), we may see more of these digital helpers across all boroughs in the future. So next time you're standing on a steamy corner wondering if the M79 is ghosting you again, just look up—you might be standing next to your new favorite screen.
