$110 parking citation to be issued to any vehicle parked or stopped at a bus stop
On August 7, AC Transit began issuing automated camera citations for illegally parked or stopped vehicles at bus stops on all bus lines throughout their service area. The AI-powered cameras detect and issue citations to any vehicle—including taxis, rideshare, and delivery trucks—stopped or parked at AC Transit bus stops.
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During the initial 60 days, motorists identified by law enforcement as violating the bus stop law received a warning notice, mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner. Starting October 7, warnings are being replaced with a $110 citation.
How automated enforcement works
AC Transit has equipped 100 buses with two small forward-facing cameras mounted on the front windshield to detect potential parking violations in bus zones. The cameras use AI technology to monitor bus stops for potential parking violations. When a violation is suspected, the system produces an evidence package, which includes:
- A 10-second video of the violation.
- A photo of the license plate.
- The time and location of the incident.
The evidence package is transmitted to transit law enforcement. Trained law enforcement personnel review the evidence packages and determine if a citation should be issued to the registered vehicle owner.
Automated enforcement background
AC Transit played a central role in passing AB 917 [2], which now permits transit agencies statewide to use forward-facing cameras to issue citations for vehicles illegally parked at bus stops and in transit-only lanes.
In June 2024, AC Transit upgraded from its legacy software on Tempo (rapid transit) buses to more advanced AI hardware and software designed to recognize lane lines, bus lanes, bus stop dimensions, and bus sizes, ensuring accurate violation detection. This upgrade follows four years of issuing citations for station and bus-only lane violations along the Tempo Line 1T corridor.
Privacy controls and safeguards
AC Transit has acknowledged concerns surrounding the application of AI technology and has collaborated with a leading AI developer to ensure the responsible deployment of this automated camera enforcement and that the deployment closely adheres to California law, as follows:
- Cameras will not capture anything inside the bus and are angled to focus solely on cars parked or stopped in bus zones.
- Any image that does not contain evidence of a parking violation will be destroyed within 15 days.
- Any image evidence of a parking violation captured by the system will be destroyed within six months of the incident unless the citation is under dispute. In such cases, the evidence will be retained until 60 days after the final resolution of the citation.
- The AI camera system has no facial recognition or other biometric detection abilities.
Learn more about parking citations and low-income payment plans at the AC Transit Parking Citations [3] web page.