PPA, SEPTA teaming up to crack down on illegal parking in bus lanes | Exclusive

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Philadelphia Parking Authority is teaming up with SEPTA to crack down on drivers who illegally park in bus lanes and in front of bus stops.

Some SEPTA buses are being equipped with cameras and artificial intelligence. The cameras will be capturing vehicles that are illegally parked or stopped in bus and trolley lanes, and then the PPA will issue fines.

From drivers loading goods to simply idling in place waiting for a friend to shop, it seems many drivers disregard the laws of bus lanes.

Now, the PPA is equipping 150 buses and 30 trolleys with cameras to catch those who violate the rules of the road.

"The goal is to let people know it is coming," said Rich Lazer, the executive director of the PPA.

The PPA and SEPTA gave the Action News Investigative Team an exclusive first look at how the cameras work during a ride-along. Lazer said the cameras will capture those vehicles illegally parked in bus lanes and at bus stops, but not moving violations.

Tickets will cost $76 in Center City and $51 everywhere else.

"It's about safety, that's the goal," said Lazer. "We want people not to park, and then we won't give violations."

"The bus lane is not being respected," said SEPTA driver Dwayne Campbell.

Campbell knows firsthand how congested the bus lanes get from idling and parked vehicles. Campbell has been behind the wheel as a SEPTA driver for 19 years.

He told us he is constantly zigzagging out of his lanes. He said it is unsafe and it delays pickup times and hinders staying on schedule. He said, most importantly, it is dangerous for passengers.

"My biggest issue is you're not really respecting the ADA population," Campbell said. "You have some people with disabilities, some with hidden disabilities. How are they going to be able to get on and off the bus if you're in the bus lane?"

The PPA said the technology has been deployed in other major cities, including New York, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles, but not without some hiccups. The technology reportedly led to thousands of mistaken parking violations in New York.

Lazer said the PPA has measures in place to avoid erroneous violations.

"We'll have a whole unit back at the office that goes through every photo or video that's taken and we deem whether it's a violation or not," he said.

Those ticketed can also dispute fines through the PPA.

"It's not a gotcha kind of thing," said Matthew Zapsen with SEPTA. "You're only getting caught if you're doing something illegal, and a bus or trolley with people on it pulls up behind you."

SEPTA said the technology will be a game-changer for its riders, as other cities have reported improved time performance.

"They've seen a big improvement in running time. So that means the bus is traveling more quickly, big improvements on time performance," said Zapsen.

In New York, SEPTA said bus speeds improved by 40% and collisions plunged by 34%.

A testing of the program here in Philadelphia in 2023 captured over 36,000 violations in over 70 days.

The agencies told us the cameras will be initially equipped on buses on routes 17,33,21, and 42 in Center City. But it will be added to an additional 14 routes in June.

"Just think about," added Campbell. "It may be your parent, your aunt, your sister who needs to get on and off the bus safely and it may be your family member driving the bus."

The first cameras will go live with the PPA issuing violations on May 1.