The tech that could make New York’s transit more resilient

New York City’s Transit Tech Lab has announced six winners from its Recovery and Sustainability Challenges which aim to find technologies to address public transit safety, track new mobility patterns, and support clean energy goals.

The six companies – Blyncsy, Quanergy, GridMatrix, Stormsensor, The Mobility House and Runwise – recently completed proof of concepts and will scale their solutions over the next year with the MTA, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) and NJ Transit.

Almost 150 applications from across the world were received for the challenges, and the pilot winners were evaluated and selected by a team of 38 transit and public safety experts based on the technologies’ impact, product, team and value.

“Mitigating the impacts of extreme weather events and addressing new mobility patterns have become prominent areas of focus for public transit agencies across the country,” said Stacey Matlen, Vice President of Innovation at the Partnership for New York City.

“We look forward to seeing how these six innovative companies create a more resilient transportation network and improve the transit experience for millions of riders.”

Leveraging technologies

According to the Lab – a start-up accelerator led by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the non-profit Partnership for New York City – the firms will leverage emerging technologies, including LiDAR (light detection and ranging), AI (artificial intelligence), computer vision, and managed charging to “deter unsafe behaviour, curb fare evasion, and improve the sustainability and resiliency of transportation infrastructure”.

The Tech Lab programme is part of the Transit Innovation Partnership, which created the award-winning MTA Live Subway Map and was established by the MTA and the Partnership for New York City to bring private sector innovation to improve public transit.

Since 2019, the programme has sought to put the New York metropolitan region at the forefront of transit innovation, with winners eligible for funding from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

Previous winners include Remix, a collaborative digital platform used to redesign bus routes, and Axon Vibe, which built the Essential Connector smartphone app to help essential workers plan journeys during overnight subway disinfection closures.

Michael Wojnar, Senior Advisor for Innovation & Policy at MTA, said, “The Transit Tech Lab has been a vital partner in connecting the MTA with firms that offer innovative solutions to challenges, old and new, that impact the transit system. Working with this year’s winners, we will continue to look at innovative approaches towards furthering the Authority’s sustainability goals and improving the resiliency of the transit system.”

Winners

Recovery Challenge pilot winners:

• Blyncsy: maps roadway infrastructure and conditions in real time, including pavement markings, obstacles, and roadway deterioration to improve maintenance and asset management.
• Quanergy: uses LiDAR hardware paired with analytic software. The firm’s Flow Management solution can report unsafe behaviour, offer object detection, and measure passenger flows.

Sustainability Challenge pilot winners:

• GridMatrix: processes live feeds from cameras and translates the data into metrics on traffic congestion, signal performance, vehicular emissions and roadway safety.
• Stormsensor: provides stormwater/climate data and predictive analytics to mitigate flooding, simplify monitoring, and improve deployment of emergency resources in weather events.
• The Mobility House: enables intelligent integration of electric vehicles with the grid while minimising charging costs. The software provides insights on how to maximise electric bus availability.
• Runwise: uses wireless technology and web-based software to identify ways to reduce energy consumption and optimise heating in buildings.

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