AI in public transit is the focus of new APTA resources for transit agencies. The materials cover artificial intelligence and machine learning in public transportation. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

AI in public transit guidance issued by APTA
AI in public transit guidance issued by APTA

The American Public Transportation Association published a broad AI primer last week. It also released guidance briefs focused on public transit use cases. The materials are based on a survey of transit agencies and staff interviews. They cover current and planned AI applications across eight areas: back office, operations, customer support, maintenance, safety and security, customer analytics, planning, and fares and ticketing.

Also, the primer and guidance briefs connect agency use cases with the implementation issues covered later in the resources.

APTA AI primer covers agency use cases

“Public transit agencies of all sizes are deploying AI to make service more reliable, more efficient and more responsive to riders,” said APTA President and CEO Paul Skoutelas in a press release. “These resources give our member organizations a clear picture of where the industry stands and a practical roadmap for moving forward responsibly.”

APTA found that customer support and analytics are currently the most common areas for AI use among transit agencies. In addition, nearly half of the agencies plan to apply AI in back office and operations functions.

The guidance briefs address several challenges agencies may face when introducing AI. These include data integration, AI policy framework, agency readiness and staff capacity.

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