This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
2/3/2022
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), New Jersey Transit, New York City Department of Transportation and Partnership for New York City this week opened the fourth round of the Transit Tech Lab’s calls for pandemic recovery and environmental sustainability objectives.
The agencies are seeking technological solutions to restore confidence in New York- and New Jersey-area public transportation, as the region continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the agencies are seeking proposed solutions toimprove resilience to weather extremes and reduce their carbon footprint, agency officials said in a press release.
Examples of what the competition is calling for to address pandemic-era concerns include:• real-time regional data tools that provide insights on new travel patterns;• tools that streamline crew scheduling to ensure optimal staffing across operations;• enhancements to OMNY, MTA’s contactless payment system; and• technologies that increase safety and deter adverse events including employee assaults and track intrusions.
Examples of what the competition is calling for to address environmental sustainability concerns include:• real-time asset tracking tools to prevent system failures, reduce operational costs and improve energy efficiencies;• new technologies to improve electric vehicle (EV) bus range, increase battery performance, develop EV charging infrastructure and deploy zero-emissions buses and locomotives;• tools to support clean and efficient urban freight deliveries;• climate resiliency innovations to protect transit assets from flooding during coastal events and severe rainstorms; and• new techniques to enable riders to report extreme conditions in real time.
Applications for both the Recovery Challenge and the Sustainability Challenge are due March 25. Agency representatives will evaluate each application based on impact, product, team and value and select companies will move forward to provide a proof-of-concept.
The Transit Tech Lab program, which began in 2018, is part of the Transit Innovation Partnership, a public-private initiative to make New York a global leader in public transit. The program has produced multiple innovative products in the transportation sector, such as the MTA Live Subway Map.