Vehicles illegally stopped in designated bus lanes across Los Angeles are being ticketed at historic rates thanks to LA Metro’s new camera pilot program, according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.
Earlier this year, LA Metro began utilizing AI-powered cameras to detect vehicles parked in bus lanes and automatically issue tickets of nearly $300.
The pilot program was developed first with a series of warnings before being officially launched in select parts of the city in February.
Now, data released by LADOT shows that the cameras have been ticketing thousands of vehicles per month, including nearly 10,000 in the first two months, according to LAist.
The program has been deployed along select Metro bus routes, including the 212, which serves La Brea Avenue between Hawthorne and Hollywood, and the 720, which serves Wilshire Boulevard from downtown L.A. to Santa Monica.
LAist reports that the number of tickets issued during that particular time frame is 77% higher than the period before the program was launched, when parking enforcement employees would issue tickets.
The AI-enable camera system is part of a 5-year pilot program between LA Metro and tech company Hayden AI. The initial rollout features 100 camera systems on buses, which scan the license plates of parking offenders and sends that information to LADOT, which in turn uses a human to verify the information and issue a ticket via the mail.
Fines range from $293 for a first-time offender to $406 for second-timers; fines also come with possible additional fees for late payments.
The system was developed in an effort to improve reliability of Metro buses and reduce delays. Dedicated bus lanes are among the traffic solutions to crowded traffic corridors, but the benefits are significantly hampered when the lanes are blocked by vehicles.
When the city first announced plans for the program, officials said they believed it would pay for itself and generate millions annually for Metro and LADOT, which have agreed to a 75/25 split of revenue.
With thousands of citations already issued within the first two months of launch, that prediction seems to be ringing true.
Metro has officially launched the system on three other lines, the 910 and 950 on the J Line Bus Rapid Transit line, and the 70, which services Olive Street and Grand Avenue.
Citation totals from those lines have yet to be released.
