The Capital District Transportation Authority is driving ahead with a pilot program meant to enhance drivers’ visibility.
Mounted to the exterior of a couple of buses is a mirrorless driver assistance system. CDTA CEO Carm Basile says the new technology allows drivers to make safer, smarter decisions. Basile says removing the “crutch” is the next step in the program.
“We're the first system in New York State to remove mirrors from two busses and go completely automated a visual mirror, just like your backup camera is used on both sides of these busses, that we think has incredible potential to change safety, change Driver Convenience, and change the way we view bus operations,” Basile said.
Unveiling the system Thursday, Basile says the authority has been demoing the technology for more than a year. He says there have been no accidents or incidents related to the use of the cameras. Basile says by removing the mirrors and relying on technology, the buses gain a foot on each side, making it easier to navigate in tight, urban environments. Basile, who is set to retire at the end of the year, says the industry is digitizing.
“Our next bus-buy is likely to include mirrorless buses, so you won't have to remove them exactly. You won't have to have a guy up on a ladder,” Basile said. “Digital is just the way we're going.”
That’s Richard Medina, the national sales manager for Luminator Technology, which is implementing the technology. Medina says the Texas-based company has more than 35 agencies and 300 buses in North America equipped with the cameras.
“We are working on 40 more pilots in the next six months, and we expect that about four of those agencies in the two states that have passed the exemption, New York and California, will be moving forward in 2025, which will probably add another 1000 buses to our mix,” Medina said. “And we're hoping that by 2026, ’27 we have in the range of 20 to 30,000 buses in North America.”
Medina says the cameras offer a color view of the streetscape during the day and at night. He says the cameras, which are enclosed on the exterior of the front sides of the bus, are unaffected by inclement weather. Medina says next year, an additional camera will be installed that monitors pedestrians outside of the vehicle.
“It is designed to detect a human being, which is one of the biggest issues for a lot of the agencies, as they're at a stoplight or a bus stop, where individuals are either think they own the road and can go anywhere they want to, or they're trying to hop on the bus at the last second as the doors have already shut on that bus,” Medina said.
Mike Valente, the Assistant Superintendent of Maintenance, says the placement of the screen displaying the video enhance visibility, making it easier to focus on the road ahead.
“So, I'm sitting in, so I'm sitting in the cockpit here. And if the barriers, if, you know, normally, there's a driver's barrier here, and the visibility is impaired because of that, because there's a piece of Plexiglas here, normally,” Valente said. “And I had to look over there, you know, I had to keep moving my head over this way to look at that one. And I need to keep looking over here this way. I could just sit in the cockpit. I just move my head a little bit, and it's, it's, it's very it's visible. It's right in front of me. It's easy to see.”
Adding to that, Basile says the new technology is unlikely to impact passenger travel.
“People are going to and from work,” Basile said. “For example, there's somewhat oblivious. Their business is to get on the bus, read their book, get off the bus.”
Basile says these upgrades build on other programs and initiatives the state transportation authority has implemented like bikes, scooters, and the Universal Access Program.
