Finalists announced in Transit Tech Lab accelerator program to help modernize NYC public transit

As part of the much-needed effort to modernize New York City public transit, the MTA and the Partnership for New York City have announced six finalists for the inaugural Transit Tech Lab accelerator program. The eight-week program, which began this week, will give the six chosen companies an opportunity to try new technologies customized to solve for specific subway and bus priorities such as reducing cost and cutting down subway delays by employing predictive maintenance, deploying a transit network planning platform, using computer vision to untangle bus lane traffic and using sensors to address platform crowding.

Successful companies could snag a year-long pilot position with the MTA. In a global competition between almost 100 companies, the six finalists were selected to work with the MTA to customize their products to address the needs of the transit agencies. The pilot program is a rare chance for young companies and new products to try out their products at a cost and pace that is affordable to them while giving the MTA staff a chance to become familiar with the latest technology.

The Transit Tech Lab is yet another way New York City hopes to become a center of innovation in the field of mobility technology as it relates to mass transit. The new program is part of the Transit Innovation Partnership, a public-private initiative formed by the MTA and the Partnership for New York City. The Lab is modeled after the successful FinTech Innovation Lab that the Partnership Fund has run for eight years to foster similar innovation in the global financial technology industry.

The finalists were required to have proven track records of successfully integrating with customers and to submit working versions of their technologies targeted at solutions for predicting and preventing subway delays and reducing the burden on customers. The selected companies are:

Axon Vibe: A global smart mobility platform that analyzes and predicts real-world passenger travel patterns by leveraging smartphone data.

Veovo: Uses a mix of sensor technologies and cameras to analyze the number of people in an area.

Image via Flickr.

The bus challenge requested innovations that would allow public buses to move faster and more efficiently. The companies selected for the bus challenge are:

Palisade Labs: Based in Brooklyn, Palisade Labs applies computer vision technology to the footage captured by forward-facing cameras on MTA buses to assess the obstructions in dedicated bus lanes.

PIPS Technology: This Neology business is a leading machine vision technology provider, operating in the transportation and mobility arena. Neology’s expertise is used globally in the detection, identification, and classification of unique vehicle characteristics, including license plate recognition.

Preteckt: Delivers predictive diagnostics using the raw sensor data collected by a bus telematics system. Preteckt helps fleets avoid service interruptions and unexpected downtime.

Remix: Helps cities and agencies optimize public transit routes and networks.

As 6sqft has recently reported, the Transit Tech Lab joins a massive effort to modernize and update the city’s transit system under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s  Subway Action Plan and the MTA’s Fast Forward plan which focuses on installing a communications-based train control signal system to allow trains to run closer together and therefore increase the number of trains that can run per hour.

MTA President Pat Foye said of the nascent program, “Through the MTA’s work with the Partnership, we are dedicated to testing and implementing new technologies that will modernize and improve subway and bus service across New York City. The Transit Tech Lab is one example of how the MTA is changing to embrace technology and build a culture of innovation by working with companies that are pioneers in mobility.”

You can learn more about the program here.

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