AI-powered cameras gave out nearly 10,000 tickets along L.A. bus routes. Are you next?
In a one-month period, artificial-intelligence-assisted cameras mounted on Los Angeles Metro buses generated nearly 10,000 citations for parking violations, according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.
Cameras were first installed on the windshields of some Metro buses last year, but the first tickets were issued in mid-February. Initially, the only buses to have cameras were along line 212, from Hollywood/Vine to Hawthorne/Lennox stations via La Brea Avenue, and line 720, from Santa Monica to downtown L.A. via Wilshire Boulevard. Line 70, which services Olive Street and Grand Avenue, and lines 910 and 950 that serve Metro's J Line have since been included.
The AI-powered cameras scan for illegally parked cars and compile a video of each violation, a photo of the license plate and the time and location, according to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Each citation is reviewed by a human.
At a minimum of $293 per violation, there's nothing artificial about the ticket's price tag.
Read more: AI-powered cameras installed on Metro buses to ticket illegally parked cars
In the second half of March, the program gave out 3,093 citations over cars blocking bus lanes or stops. That number more than doubled in the first two weeks of April, when 6,681 citations were issued.
Before the cameras were installed, officers typically issued around 570 tickets for impeding bus lanes monthly, the transportation department told LAist.
'Without enforcement, a single parked car in a bus lane can delay dozens or even hundreds of riders. So, this is not just about issuing tickets, it's about making sure our Metro buses run on schedule and get our riders to their destinations on time,' said Metro Board Chair and L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn.
The program, designed by technology company Hayden AI, is meant to improve bus times, increase ridership and address mobility concerns. Metro's board of directors approved an $11-million contract with the company last year to roll out 100 camera systems. The agreement started in December and is supposed to last roughly five years.
Read more: A rich L.A. neighborhood donated surveillance technology to the LAPD — then drama ensued
Although the AI-powered security cameras constantly scan for illegally parked cars, Charles Territo, Hayden AI's chief growth officer, said the technology is trained to record only when a potential violation is observed.
'If the bus is moving and there's no vehicle parked in the lane, it's not recording any data,' he said. 'Only when the system observes a vehicle parked illegally in a bus lane or a bus stop does it record the license plate and capture video of the event.'
Similar programs are being used in Washington, D.C., and New York City as the use of AI continues to expand for travel safety.
Recently, Southern California's regional rail system Metrolink was granted $1.3 million to develop an AI-powered security system to detect unexpected movement on the tracks.
Times staff writer Colleen Shalby contributed to this report.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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