Photo: nirmal-rajendharkumar-_w_phldG6Fw-unsplash
New York transit agencies pilot tech to restore rider confidence
26 May 2022
by Christopher Carey
New York’s Transit Tech Lab has picked ten companies to develop projects to help the region’s transit systems recover from the pandemic by improving the safety and sustainability of the network.
The Lab – a start-up accelerator led by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the non-profit Partnership for New York City – announced the latest round of the programme in January, and received almost 150 applications.
Selected companies will test their solutions over an eight-week period with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) and New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit).
Speaking to Cities Today, Natalia Quintero, Senior Vice President of Innovation at the Partnership for New York City, said: “This is about finding the tools that can overcome some of the obstacles that the city is now facing around building trust and security around safety, and to make sure that customers are comfortable coming back to public transit.”
Winning firms include Clarifai, a computer-vision firm that aims to identify unsafe behaviour in train stations, and Gridmatrix, which uses software to interpret video footage on roads, enabling agencies to understand traffic patterns, unsafe intersections, and emissions.
Eight other companies will tackle a range of challenges the region is facing, including using AI, data and sensors to reduce road traffic, boost electric vehicle fleet management, and reduce fare evasion.
Pilot
Companies that successfully demonstrate their products will be invited to take part in a year-long pilot that starts in September 2022.
“There’s no minimum or maximum number of companies that will be selected for the year-long pilot,” said Quintero.
“We will evaluate [the firms] during the proof of concept period and where there is a fit, those companies will be selected.”
During the last programme run by the Lab, three companies – Kinnos, Cityswift and Beyond – were selected to take part in one-year pilots.
The ten start-ups will be responsible for costs during the initial proof of concept phase, but if successful, will be eligible to apply for funding from the Lab for the pilot.
“There’s no exact amount [of funding] allocated yet – these tools can be really different: some of them are software or hardware only, and some are a mix of hardware and software, so it really just depends,” said Quintero.
“The companies will provide a scope of work and budget for what they want to accomplish, and then we’ll confirm if the funds are available for that.”
Transit Tech Lab
The Lab’s accelerator programme is part of the Transit Innovation Partnership, which yielded the MTA Live Subway Map, and was established by the MTA and the Partnership for New York City in 2018 to bring private sector innovation to improve public transit.
Winners of previous competitions include Remix [now owned by Via], a collaborative digital platform used to redesign bus routes, and Axon Vibe, which built the Essential Connector smartphone app to help key workers plan journeys during overnight subway disinfection closures.
Photo: Nirmal Rajendharkumar (Unsplash)
