The program follows a 45-day pilot conducted earlier this year along Lincoln Boulevard, where 511 potential violations were identified, though no tickets were issued
Starting July 1, Santa Monica will roll out artificial intelligence-equipped cameras on city buses to detect and deter illegal parking in bus lanes.
The initiative, part of a broader move to modernize urban transportation, will use forward-facing cameras and license plate readers from Hayden AI to capture and log violations. Citations will only be issued after review by human officers to ensure accuracy and fairness, city officials said.
The program follows a 45-day pilot conducted earlier this year along Lincoln Boulevard, where 511 potential violations were identified, though no tickets were issued during the trial. The area near Grant Street showed the highest concentration of infractions.
According to Complete AI Training, which reported on the launch, the technology aims to boost bus efficiency and boarding accessibility by keeping lanes clear. Officials cite national data showing cities using similar automated enforcement have improved bus speeds by up to 36% and reduced collisions by 34%.
The cameras will not use facial recognition and are focused solely on monitoring vehicle behavior in designated bus-only lanes.
The Big Blue Bus system, which serves more than 13 million riders annually across Santa Monica’s 58-square-mile service area, is the latest in a growing number of transit agencies nationwide to adopt AI-based enforcement. Cities including New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. have reported declines in repeat offenses and significant improvements in transit flow since deploying similar systems.
The city will begin with a warning period before fines are issued. Revenue generated from violations is earmarked for reinvestment into public transit and safety initiatives, with officials emphasizing the program’s long-term goal of eliminating bus lane infractions altogether.
