TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Salvador Llamas, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: Update on Automated Bus lane and Bus stop Enforcement Pilot
BRIEFING ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ☒
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving an update on the District’s Automated Bus Lane and Bus Stop Enforcement Pilot. [Requested by Director Walsh - 2/11/26.]
Staff Contact:
Aaron Vogel, Chief Operating Officer
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Safe and Secure Operations
Initiative - Service Quality
Automated bus lane and bus stop enforcement technology uses forward-facing cameras and cloud-based software to identify potential parking violations in designated transit-only zones. This system is designed to improve on-time performance and accessibility while enhancing operator and passenger safety, shortening scheduled travel times for buses operating in bus-only lanes, and increasing overall efficiency during boarding and alighting by reducing illegal parking in bus-only zones.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no capital or licensing cost to the District for this pilot. The technology vendor will receive a portion of the citation revenue generated, up to an amount equivalent to $2,500 monthly per bus that has been equipped with the technology. In the event citation revenue does not equal this amount, the District will not be responsible for paying the difference. The District will retain any revenue exceeding the monthly $2,500 per bus fee.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
Deployment
On June 14, 2023, the Board of Directors approved a three-year pilot to deploy automated bus lane and bus stop enforcement technology on 100 buses. The contract term spans from December 13, 2023, through December 1, 2026. With input from bus operators, 44 bus routes were selected to deploy the pilot. Installation and validation of all 100 buses was completed in June 2024. On June 16, 2024, the AI-powered camera system began enforcing bus-only lanes along the Tempo Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor. The automated technology replaced a previous system, which required operators to manually press a dashboard button to document potential violations.
On August 7, 2024, the District expanded the automated camera enforcement by issuing warning citations for illegally parked or stopped vehicles at bus stops on 39 bus routes in the Alameda County service area. Full enforcement with citations started on October 7, 2024. Initial enforcement only includes the Alameda County service area due to the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office (CCCSO) not having the required protocol and process established.
Citations and Revenue
From October 2024 through April 30, 2026, a total of 594,370 “events” (i.e., possible violations) were captured by the cameras. Of the captured events, 194,988 were approved for review by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO). After final review from the Sheriff's Office, 135,054 events (approximately 69%) were confirmed as violations. These violations were sent to processing for citation issuance. Attachment 1, Table 1 - Event Type Summary shows the distribution of bus lane and bus stop incidents. Out of the 135,054 events sent for processing, 19.6% were related to bus bane violations, while 80.4% involved bus stop violations.
Citation processing approval by ACSO increased from 66% to 79% over the 19-month period (October 2024 - April 2026). An average of 7,108 citations were issued per month during this time. Attachment 1, Table 2 - Event Summary by Month summarizes the events identified and violations confirmed and sent for processing by month for the period of October 2024 through end of April 2026.
The citation process collected a total of $5,777,867.33 during the 19-month period. From the total amount collected, $2,299,315.97 was paid to the citation processing vendor, $3,455,181.95 to the technology provider, and the District collected $23,369.41 in revenue. As of January 2026, the pilot has generated enough volume to cover the $250,000 monthly fee to the technology provider. If this volume is maintained, the District would benefit from the additional revenue above the monthly fee. It is important to note that the District’s Ordinance No. 19 creates restrictions on fees (as discussed below under Ongoing Improvements) therefore limiting the amount recovered per citation issued. The technology provider has also recommended the use of late fees to encourage prompt payment to the District and to better limit illegal parking.
Citation Appeals
Bus lane and bus stop enforcement processes include provisions for individuals to submit evidence when contesting citations. Individuals may appeal or dispute citations by providing a written statement. During calendar year 2025, 98.04% of citations were accepted without challenge. There were 1,730 requests for administrative review, representing 1.96% of all citations issued. Of these, 1,054 citations were upheld, reflecting a rate of 61%. Hearings were requested by only 35 individuals, accounting for .04% of citations; 28 citations from these hearings were upheld, equating to 80%. Attachment 1, Chart 1 - Appeals 2025, presents a monthly breakdown of citations that were contested, upheld, and dismissed.
Assessment of the Pilot
This pilot has shown that automated enforcement technology is effective at identifying violations, deterring repeat behavior, and improving District service delivery. An analysis of data from October 2024 to April 2026 shows a general decline in monthly citations, suggesting that enforcement is positively influencing non-District driver behavior. This trend is illustrated in Attachment 1, Chart 2 - Citations Sent to Processor, with the following key findings:
• 79.3% of vehicles cited for illegal parking receive only one ticket, suggesting that a single citation is often enough to deter future violations
• Almost 92% of vehicles cited received two or fewer tickets
• Just 8.2% of vehicles are cited 3 or more times
• Commercial delivery vehicles are the top offenders.
On-time performance (OTP) on the 100 buses equipped with automated enforcement technology increased by 7.6% (from 72.7% to 78.2%) between October 7, 2024, and July 31, 2025. This improvement occurred prior to the District’s implementation of Realign, a major network redesign affecting 104 bus lines, nearly 85% of AC Transit routes. Realign adjusted service in response to remote work trends, shifting ridership, and fiscal constraints through revised frequencies, new routes to improve connectivity, and the discontinuation of lines to increase efficiency.
Following the implementation of Realign, OTP declined sharply before rebounding to 75.4% in April 2026, as shown in Attachment 1, Chart 3 - Pilot Enforcement Routes OTP. Systemwide OTP followed a similar trend during this period. Routes with automated enforcement were generally faster and more reliable than non-enforced routes, though it is not possible to determine whether that difference results from camera enforcement or from Realign and other service changes.
As a result, a reliable year-over-year comparison is not currently available to fully assess the pilot’s impact on OTP. Additional post-Realign data are needed to establish a more consistent baseline and better evaluate the extent to which the automated enforcement technology contributes to improved service reliability.
Ongoing Improvements
The District successfully worked with the technology provider to set up automated data feeds using an application programming interface (API) for higher data quality and real-time reporting. The District has completed the backend support with the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office to move forward with a 60-day warning period and full enforcement thereafter. Launching enforcement in Contra Costa County has taken longer than anticipated, but the District expects to be ready in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2026.
Based on feedback received from citation recipients, the District has been working with the citation processing vendor (Duncan) to improve their processes. Administrative enhancements were made, clarifying the citations and providing more online options. Enhancements with the Duncan are underway and include:
• Adjusting citation language to clearly identify clear due dates, procedures to pay and appeal, penalties, and identifying entity ownership throughout the citation process.
• Creating an opportunity to appeal citations online, including submitting documents and tracking the appeal. The ability to appeal via mail will remain in place.
Legislative Background
Per the 2026 State Advocacy Program adopted by the Board last November, the District is cosponsoring Assembly Bill 1837 (González), which extends through January 2034 transit agencies’ authority to use forward-facing cameras to enforce illegal parking in transit-only zones, including bus-only lanes and bus stops. The bill continues the enforcement authority first granted under AB 917 (Bloom, 2021), preserving an essential tool for keeping bus-only lanes and stops clear. The District co-sponsored AB 917 alongside the California Transit Association and LA Metro.
AB 1837 includes strong privacy, oversight, and equity protections. Cameras are angled to capture violations only and may not use facial recognition or biometric data; non-relevant images are required to be automatically blurred. Data without a clear violation must be deleted within 15 days, while evidence of a violation is purged six months after citation payment. Each potential violation must be reviewed and confirmed by trained personnel, such as a sheriff’s deputy. The bill also ensures equitable enforcement by requiring a 60-day warning period for new routes and allowing citation waivers for individuals facing financial hardship.
AB1837 has advanced to the Governor’s desk for signature. The Governor has until September 30 to act on the bill.
Future Opportunities
The District has identified several opportunities to improve the cost-effectiveness, reach, and equity of the program. Several are contingent upon the extension of state authority under AB 1837 and on Board action to amend District Ordinance 19.
Reduced Fees Per Bus from Technology Provider: The current agreement compensates the technology provider up to $2,500 monthly per bus, or $250,000 monthly across the 100-bus fleet. Now that the program is generating sufficient citation volume to cover this fee, the District will seek a reduced per-bus rate in any future competitive procurement, which would allow a greater share of citation revenue to be retained by the District.
Increase the Number of Buses with Automated Enforcement Cameras: Expanding beyond the current 100 buses would increase enforcement coverage and citation volume. The District will evaluate any expansion against the incremental per-bus cost to ensure the program remains revenue-neutral or better for the District.
Increase the Number of Routes Being Enforced: Bus stop enforcement currently covers 39 routes in the Alameda County service area. Additional routes could be added based on operator feedback and observed violation patterns, subject to the 60-day warning period required for newly enforced routes.
Expand Camera Deployment into Contra Costa County: Backend coordination with the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office is complete, and the District anticipates launching a 60-day warning period in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2026, with full enforcement thereafter. This will extend the program across the District's full service area for the first time.
Revise Citation Due Date Language in Ordinance to 60 Days: Change the current citation from “You have 21 days from >>Issuance Date<< or 14 days from the date of this notice to contest the citation by submitting an Administrative Review” to “You have 60 days from the Date of Issuance: >>Date<< to pay or to contest the citation by requesting an Administrative Review.” Extending the payment window responds to public feedback and would give recipients additional time to pay or contest a citation. The District anticipates this would reduce administrative review requests and, if progressive penalties are adopted as described below, reduce late penalties as well.
Revise District Ordinance 19 to Allow Progressive Penalties: Under the current ordinance, the maximum citation amount remains $110 with no penalties for late payment, limiting the financial incentive for violators to pay promptly. Since the vendor deducts processing and collection costs before remitting net proceeds to the District, additional collection activity reduces the District's net revenue recovery. The District should consider implementing progressive penalties, increased late fees, or additional administrative charges that would encourage earlier payment, reduce collection costs, and improve the District's overall revenue recovery.
Evaluate Processing and Administrative Fee Structure for Vendor: During future contract negotiations, the District should evaluate the processing, administrative, and collection fees for potential cost savings. Reducing these costs would increase the District's net revenue from each citation and help reach its monthly recovery threshold sooner, allowing the District to retain surplus revenue earlier.
Since automated enforcement began in June 2024, the technology has allowed operators to keep their primary focus on driving while accurately and consistently documenting vehicles that block bus lanes and bus stops. The District remains in regular communication with the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, the technology provider, and the processing vendor to refine enforcement zones and improve the customer-facing citation process. Early results are encouraging: enforced routes are faster and more reliable than non-enforced routes, and most cited vehicles are never cited again. However, the scope of the Realign network redesign makes data prior to August 2025 unsuitable for year-over-year comparison. An eighteen-month extension of the pilot would provide a clean post-Realign baseline, allow enforcement to launch in Contra Costa County, and give the District the data needed to further assess the pilot against its safety, travel time, and boarding efficiency goals. Staff intends to return to the Board with that request in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2026, assuming the Governor signs AB 1837 into law, and to use the resulting analysis to inform the scope of a long-term, competitively procured contract.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
This report does not recommend a course of action with notable advantages or disadvantages.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
This report does not recommend an alternative analysis.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
Staff Report 22-109 bus stop and Lane Violation Enforcement
Staff Report 23-343a Adoption of Ordinance 19
Staff Report 23-242 Forward Facing Camera bus stop and bus lane Enforcement Technology
Staff Report 24-434 Update on Automated bus lane and bus stop Enforcement Pilot
Board Policy 465 Procurement Policy
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Tables and Charts
2. Agenda Planning Request from Director Walsh
Prepared by:
Cecil Blandon, Director of Maintenance
In Collaboration with:
Ron Erb, Manager of Public Safety and Security
Scott Arjun, Program Manager
Approved/Reviewed by:
Cecil Blandon, Director of Maintenance
William Tonis, Director of Business Sciences
Steven Jones, Director of Legislative Affairs and Community Relations
Claudia Burgos, Chief External Affairs Officer
Ahsan Baig, Chief Technology Officer
Aaron Vogel, Chief Operating Officer