SacRT Partners with City of Sacramento to Launch Bus Stop Enforcement Program to Enhance Rider Safety and Accessibility

SacRT Partners with City of Sacramento to Launch Bus Stop Enforcement Program to Enhance Rider Safety and Accessibility

SACRAMENTO, CA - The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT), in collaboration with the City of Sacramento, is launching a new Bus Stop Enforcement Program to improve safety, accessibility, and reliability for transit riders and bus operators. Beginning Thursday, December 19, 2024, the program will enforce parking regulations at bus stops throughout the city, ensuring that buses have unobstructed access to curbs, and passengers can safely board and exit buses at designated stops.

Why This Program is Essential
Unauthorized parking in bus stops poses significant safety risks for transit riders and SacRT employees, and can create barriers for people with disabilities and those with mobility challenges. When bus stops are blocked, bus operators may be forced to load and unload passengers away from the curb, increasing the likelihood of accidents and delays. The Bus Stop Enforcement Program aims to reduce these risks by keeping designated transit zones clear.

"Clear bus stops are essential to providing a safe and efficient transit experience," said SacRT General Manager/CEO Henry Li. "This program will help improve accessibility for all riders, especially those with mobility needs, while keeping our transit service reliable and on schedule."

The program will also enforce bike lane violations to decrease the number of vehicles obstructing bike lanes, supporting sustainable transportation options while fostering safer, more predictable road conditions for all users. The bike lane enforcement will begin later in 2025.

How the Program Works
Up to 100 SacRT buses will be equipped with front-facing cameras powered by artificial intelligence (AI) from Hayden AI. These cameras will detect and record instances of unauthorized parking in bus stops. When a violation occurs, the system captures a short video and a photo of the vehicle's license plate, and the exact time and location of the incident. This information is then sent to the City of Sacramento for review and citation processing. Starting Thursday, December 19, 2025, there will be a 60-day grace enforcement period during which drivers illegally parked in bus stops will receive warning notices in the mail. Citations with fines will be issued starting Wednesday, February 18, 2025. Under Assembly Bill 917 (AB 917), California transit agencies now have the authority to use forward-facing cameras to enforce parking restrictions in transit-only lanes and designated transit zones. This legal provision allows SacRT and other agencies statewide to take significant steps toward improving transit safety and accessibility by ensuring that bus stops remain clear and accessible.

Key Details for Drivers:

• Notification Start Date: Thursday, December 19, 2024, begins a 60-day grace warning period.
• Citation Start Date: Citations with fines will be issued starting Tuesday, February 18, 2025.
• Citation Process: If a vehicle is detected obstructing a bus stop, a citation will be mailed to the registered owner.

"We are committed to making Sacramento a more accessible and transit-friendly city. This partnership with SacRT is an important step forward," said Staci Hovermale, Parking Manager, City of Sacramento. "By keeping bus stops clear, we can better serve all our residents and make sure buses are running efficiently and safely."

This summer, SacRT conducted a 70-day pilot program on two busy downtown routes (bus routes 51 and 30) to assess the impact of vehicles illegally parked in bus stops. During the pilot, SacRT buses detected 286 parking violations obstructing bus stops. The high volume of violations confirmed the need for a targeted enforcement program to ensure accessible and safe boarding for all passengers.

Sacramento joins Oakland, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and New York in deploying automated bus stop enforcement with bus-mounted camera systems.

California-based Hayden AI will provide the automated bus stop and bike lane enforcement camera systems for SacRT buses and Duncan Solutions is providing violation processing software. All evidence packages of parking violations detected by the camera systems will be reviewed manually by the City of Sacramento.

"Hayden AI was created to solve a serious problem: vehicles blocking dedicated transit zones. It's been an honor to use our technology to help cities and transit agencies improve safety and deliver accessible, reliable transit service, and we're excited to bring this technology to Sacramento," said Charles Territo, Chief Growth Officer at Hayden AI.

"We're looking forward to working with our long-time partners at the City of Sacramento and our new partners at SacRT and Hayden AI to help reduce parking violations in bus stops and in bike lanes. Reducing these violations will significantly improve safety and access to transportation for everyone in Sacramento," said Jason Sutton, Senior Vice President of Parking and Mobility Solutions at Duncan Solutions.

SacRT and the City of Sacramento encourage all drivers to respect bus stop zones and help ensure a safer and more accessible transit experience for everyone in our community. Learn more about the program at sacrt.com/SafeBusStop. For more information on paying or contesting a citation, visit dsparkingportal.com/sacramento.