With help from cameras and AI, Philadelphia Parking Authority to start issuing tickets for blocking bus stops
The Philadelphia Parking Authority will start issuing tickets and fines this week as part of a program that uses cameras and artificial intelligence to identify drivers parked or stopped illegally in no stopping lanes and at bus stops.
The new initiative — a partnership between the PPA, SEPTA and the Philadelphia Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Systems — uses cameras mounted on buses and trolleys "to enforce parking violations that obstruct public transit and help improve safety, accessibility, and bus and trolley service reliability for SEPTA riders," according to a news release from the three organizations.
The program uses AI-powered cameras developed by Hayden AI. The cameras record license plates and images of the violation. PPA staff will manually review the citations before they're issued, the announcement says.
Starting May 7, violators will receive tickets in the mail — $76 for Center City infractions and $51 when the program expands to other neighborhoods.
The program launched earlier this year and has been issuing warnings since April 16. Eventually, the technology will expand to 152 buses and 38 trolleys. Tickets for violations on trolley tracks and in trolley zones will be added later in the year, according to the PPA.
Councilmember Mark Squilla sponsored the legislation for the program, which passed unanimously in City Council in 2023.
"We are proud to partner with the Philadelphia Parking Authority on this initiative, which will bolster SEPTA's efforts to provide customers with safe and reliable service," said SEPTA Interim General Manager Scott A. Sauer in the announcement. "Illegally parked vehicles obstructing transit throw buses off schedule, slow down service, and create unnecessary dangers to riders and pedestrians."
PPA Executive Director Rich Lazer said cars blocking bus stops especially affects riders who have disabilities.
"If a bus cannot pull up to the curb because the bus stop is blocked by an illegally parked vehicle, it is impossible for bus operators to safely deploy wheelchair access ramps to the curb," Lazer said in the statement. "It also forces transit riders to step into active travel lanes to board and exit the bus, where it is both dangerous and difficult for bus operators to see them."
The news comes as SEPTA faces a funding crisis that could result in severe cuts and fare hikes. The transit authority is also cracking down on fare evasion on train and trolley lines.
