The Transit Tech Lab announced on Monday the results of proof-of-concept tests to find technology solutions in the areas of curb management, building a more resilient transit system and improving the customer experience for users of New York’s regional transit agencies.
Eighteen startup companies were chosen from among 150 applicants to the sixth annual program, which is an initiative developed by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Partnership Fund for New York City. The Fund is a $130 million investment wing of the Partnership for New York City that aims to connect innovative companies with the public sector. The Transit Tech Lab opens the door to growth-stage companies to help find solutions to public transportation challenges.
Each year’s program begins by asking transit agency leaders which technologies could help solve some of the problems most concerning to the public. The chosen applicants then work with the participating New York City-area transit agencies, which this year included the MTA, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New Jersey Transit and the New York City Department of Transportation.
“NYC DOT is always looking to take advantage of new technologies to make our streets safer and more efficient,” said the agency’s commissioner, Ydanis Rodriguez, in a statement.
Finalists in the curb activity challenge worked with NYC DOT on using lidar and edge AI sensors to automate curb data collection and to learn how curb management software could improve existing data on how curbs are used.
Among the resilience challenge projects, the participating companies worked with the transit agencies to install 16 environmental sensors in 12 MTA facilities to alert workers about extreme heat and flooding, installed vibration sensors on three bridges and identified 10 locations where lamp posts could be retrofitted with EV chargers.
Technologies to improve the customer experience included an indoor navigation app using augmented reality to help customers navigate transfers at NJ Transit’s Hoboken Terminal and an American Sign Language translation service at four MTA and Port Authority facilities.
Since 2018, the Transit Tech Lab has tested 69 new technology solutions, piloted 33 integrated solutions and deployed 12 of these at scale.