Starting today, the East Bay public transit agency AC Transit will use cameras that they claim are “equipped with artificial intelligence” to cite cars parked in bus lanes, though the agency won’t start issuing $110 citations until early October.

One of the strange things about the AI craze is that you can basically call anything “AI.” The term has no objective definition, and is really more of a marketing term than a technical one.


That feels like the case with the news that the Alameda/Contra Costa county bus service AC Transit is now using “AI” cameras to cite cars parked in the bus lanes, according to KRON4. That report notes that “The AI-enabled cameras can identify vehicles parked in the way, capture the plates, timestamp the photo and record a 10-second video.”

I’m no tech pro, but… haven’t all of those capabilities existed for at least fifteen years?


My soapbox ranting aside, anything that discourages cars from illegal parking in bus lanes is surely a good thing. The agency says in an announcement that “AC Transit is expanding its use of automated cameras equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) after evaluating their effectiveness in detecting illegal stopping and parking at Tempo Line 1T stations and bus only lanes.”

They add that “Like Tempo, the AI-powered cameras will detect and issue citations to any vehicle, including taxis, Uber and Lyft, and delivery trucks, that are stopped or parked at AC Transit bus stops.”

(When they say “Tempo”, they refer to AC Transit’s Tempo road transit buses that have the unconventional black-and aqua blue color scheme. The Tempo Line 1T, which runs from Uptown Oakland to San Leandro, is the line with AC Transit's highest ridership.)

While the cameras will go into use on all AC Transit buses starting today, those drivers whose cars are caught in bus lanes will just get warnings via USPS mail for the time being. Proper citations will begin on October 7, and violators will receive a $110 fine.

But on the bright side, AC Transit is not paying for these cameras. Per KRON4, “the tech camera company will receive a monthly share of the citation revenue of up to $2,500 per bus for a three-year period.” So that sounds like one use of artificial intelligence that’s employing legitimate intelligence.

Related: Double-Parking Uber And Lyft Drivers Scramble To Beat Bus Cameras [SFist]

Image: @rideact via Twitter