Los Angeles launching AI Metro buses to automatically issue parking tickets to illegally parked cars

The Los Angeles Metro (Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority) is rolling out 100 AI Metro buses equipped with HaydenAI camera enforcement systems to automatically ticket illegally parked vehicles in bus routes. The AI buses will enter testing this summer, followed by full implementation by the end of the year. Similar systems are already in use in New York City and Washington, D.C.

Los Angeles is plagued by bad drivers who do not follow the rules of the road. Besides high accident rates, illegally parked cars abound. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation Bureau of Parking Management issued 2.3 million citations in 2023 alone. Unfortunately, some of LADOT’s 600+ parking enforcement officers have even been caught for crimes and misconduct while on the job. To counter pointless legwork patrolling for illegally parked vehicles and potential employee misconduct, the LA Metro has entered into an $11 million contract with HaydenAI for its AI enforcement technology over the next five years.

The HaydenAI enforcement system consists of a bus-mounted camera connected to an AI Perception Engine running on a mounted computing device that continuously monitors the route for violations. All of the collected data can be further analyzed on the Hayden AI data portal, with tickets for violations automatically issued after LADOT staff review.

California law requires videos without evidence of violation to be deleted within 15 days. All videos of violations can be kept a minimum of six months or a maximum of 60 days after the citation has been taken care of. All videos are shared with HaydenAI, so while the company says it promotes strict privacy practices, potential privacy issues may arise.

HaydenAI also provides AI enforcement systems for city vehicles, school buses, and streetcars, so the technology has the potential to be installed and used on a broad range of public service vehicles to automatically fine bad LA drivers. The technology also works with moving vehicles violating the law.

Readers who want to avoid a ticket should read about the things they need to know about driving and the laws tested on the CA DMV exam.