The Transit Tech Lab, a New York City initiative aimed at accelerating new technologies, announced the results of its 2024 program on Monday, which tackled public transportation projects like converting light poles into EV chargers, using lidar to create digital maps for blind and visually impaired passengers, and creating under-train and vehicle monitoring systems for automated inspections.
This year, 18 tech startups participated in the eight-week program, organized by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and investment firm Partnership Fund for New York City, working with local transit agencies to test adaptive transportation technology, improve customer experiences and make the most of curbs.
Reports on Monday said this year’s sixth annual program was the largest yet, attracting 150 applicants.
“We established the Transit Tech Lab and other lab programs to ensure government has access to transformative technologies,” Maria Gocci, president of the New York City Partnership Fund, said in the announcement. “We believe the 18 technologies demonstrated during this year’s proof-of-concept period provided our transit partners with valuable insights into how technology has great potential to enhance transit operations and therefore improve our city.”
The nine startups selected for the lab’s “Resilience” challenge are focused on sustainability: Cascara Energy found a way to reuse $171,000 in excess heat per year at the Brooklyn Third Avenue subway station, and CloudMonitoring helped install environmental sensors at 12 MTA facilities to protect workers and critical infrastructure with alerts for extreme heat and flooding.
Five startups tackled the lab’s “customer experience” challenge, exploring how to better communicate service changes, reduce delays and find new ways to meet city public transportation safety and cleanliness initiatives: Convo Communications launched an American Sign Language translation service at select MTA and Port Authority locations, and GoodMaps created an augmented reality tool to help passengers visually plan their trips.
Four applicants took on the lab’s “Curb Activities” challenge, working with the Department of Transportation to evaluate sensors that could help automate the collection of the city’s curb data, and evaluating the city’s current data management system to evaluate curb management software.
“Working with startups allows the agency to participate in research and development, including exploring the scalability of projects across numerous facilities,” Rob Galvin, chief technology officer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said of the program. “The opportunity to access the creativity and innovation of these startups has been extremely helpful as we work to incorporate best practices into our daily operations.”
The New York City metropolitan area has the largest public transportation system in the United States, with a 248-mile subway system and bus network. According to the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s 2023 report, the subway serves approximately 3.6 million daily riders and 1.15 billion annual ridership.
The Citizens Budget Commission, a nonprofit that analyzes New York City and state finances, released a report last week estimating that the MTA needs about $115 billion to repair the century-old transit system. The nonprofit recommended that the transit agency prioritize repairing current infrastructure rather than investing in new projects.
According to a press release, since 2018, Travsit Tech Lab has hosted more than 900 applicants, tested 69 new technologies, piloted 33 integrated solutions, and deployed 12 at scale.
Author: Sophia Fox Sowell Sophia Fox Sowell reports on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and government regulation for StateScoop. She was previously a multimedia producer at CNET, where she covered private sector innovation in food production, climate change, and space through podcasts and video content. She holds a BA in Anthropology from Wagner College and an MA in Media Innovation from Northeastern University.
