Operational Efficiency Challenge

How do we utilize new tools to increase operational efficiencies?

In response to post-pandemic reduced ridership and revenue, NYC regional transit agencies are seeking tools that can reduce costs while increasing efficiency.

Technologies may include:

Predictive maintenance and analytics on public transit and infrastructure assets, such as track, signal and power systems, to proactively identify possible operational failures before they occur.
Tools to prevent fare evasion and improve/automate the issuance and processing of fare evasion summonses.
Tools predicting and mitigating operational disruptions, such as impacts of weather events, delays, platform crowding, excessive wait times, crime, road safety, or EV bus battery electric fires.
Tools to help prioritize operational staff resources, such as: where to deploy cleaning staff & waste management solutions, manually inspect assets, place human flaggers, or allocate people counters on trains.
Tools to help automate and improve operations and make them more sustainable, such as: 1:1 customer digital communication, locating buses within a depot, internal employee communication, adaptive bus pick scheduling, automating track inspections to help speed up service, or microgrid and decarbonization optimization.
Connecting disparate sources of data into one system. Data examples include, tolling data across different locations, cargo and truck movement, and integrating customer feedback.

In response to post-pandemic reduced ridership and revenue, NYC regional transit agencies are seeking tools that can reduce costs while increasing efficiency.

Technologies may include:

Predictive maintenance and analytics on public transit and infrastructure assets, such as track, signal and power systems, to proactively identify possible operational failures before they occur.
Tools to prevent fare evasion and improve/automate the issuance and processing of fare evasion summonses.
Tools predicting and mitigating operational disruptions, such as impacts of weather events, delays, platform crowding, excessive wait times, crime, road safety, or EV bus battery electric fires.
Tools to help prioritize operational staff resources, such as: where to deploy cleaning staff & waste management solutions, manually inspect assets, place human flaggers, or allocate people counters on trains.
Tools to help automate and improve operations and make them more sustainable, such as: 1:1 customer digital communication, locating buses within a depot, internal employee communication, adaptive bus pick scheduling, automating track inspections to help speed up service, or microgrid and decarbonization optimization.
Connecting disparate sources of data into one system. Data examples include, tolling data across different locations, cargo and truck movement, and integrating customer feedback.

Challenge Finalists

ACCURE Battery Intelligence

Leader in predictive battery analytics software that prevents battery fires and reduces the operations and maintenance costs of Electric Vehicle (EV) fleets.

Partner Agencies: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New York City Transit, NJ TRANSIT

Digital Mortar

Utilizes passenger flow sensors to provide real-time customer journey analytics for queue management, dynamic labor allocation, lost revenue analysis, and space planning and commercial real-estate optimization.

Partner Agency: NJ TRANSIT

Humatics

Enables revenue service rolling stock to provide near real-time monitoring of track condition with precise positioning of track anomalies for improved maintenance.

Partner Agencies: New York City Transit, NJ TRANSIT

Lux Modus

Uses LiDAR and imagery fusion technology to automate 3D mapping to optimize asset management on critical transit infrastructure.

Partner Agencies: New York City Transit, NJ TRANSIT

Optibus

Uses artificial intelligence and optimization algorithms to empower planners and operators to improve public transit schedules and routes, with the potential to digitize the bus operator bid/pick process to optimize service needs.

Partner Agency: New York City Transit

PavCon

Utilizes domain expertise, existing technology, and maintenance/operational data to deliver predictive maintenance and parts supply forecasts.

Partner Agencies: Metro-North Railroad, New York City Transit

Signapse

Utilizes AI to automatically translate written text to sign language enabling scalable, cheaper, and faster accessible content for the Deaf community.

Partner Agencies: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, NYC Department of Transportation, NJ TRANSIT

Swiftly

Provides a suite of mobile applications to automate the process for reporting on track inspection & signal testing.

Partner Agency: New York City Transit, NJ TRANSIT

TekTracking

Provides a suite of mobile applications to automate the process for reporting on track inspection & signal testing.

Partner Agency: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

ThroughPut Inc.

Provides a rapid supply chain diagnostics software that enables immediate operational intervention, eliminating maintenance downtime caused by supply chain delays and unavailability of parts.

Partner Agency: Metro-North Railroad

Wi-Tronix

An immersive, real-time IoT platform that is essential for railroads and transit systems to continuously improve operations, safety practices, and service reliability; Wi-Tronix collects insights from onboard systems and enables remote visibility for customers to make decisions and respond to issues quickly and efficiently.

Partner Agencies: Metro-North Railroad, New York City Transit, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, NJ TRANSIT

Widesense

Provides real-time AI optimized actionable guidance to fleet operator dispatch and maintenance teams for optimized work assignments and charging schedules. The WideSense system helps EV operations eliminate range anxiety, ensure service reliability, and become more cost competitive than diesel fleet operations.

Partner Agency: NJ TRANSIT

How the Transit Tech Lab Works

The Transit Tech Lab offers growth-stage companies the opportunity to pilot innovative solutions with the nation’s largest public transit system. Applicants have the opportunity to deploy solutions with public agencies, access funded pilots, and collaborate with subject matter experts in their field.