It’s back to the future for the MTA with the launch of a new technology lab to crack transit’s most pressing problems. Transit and business officials have announced a Transit Tech Lab to solve two vexing problems at NYC Transit. They hope to develop tech products that can predict severity of subway disruptions as well as find better ways to move buses through city streets. The idea came from the Transit Innovation Partnership, a public-private organization from the MTA and the pro-business group, the Partnership for New York City.
“The MTA is committed to exploring every avenue to ensure that we modernize our system for the next generation of riders,” MTA President Pat Foye said in a statement. The MTA’s has had a spotty record with new technology. Countdown clocks with Bluetooth “beacons” that were rushed into subway stations are frequently wrong or out of order. The bus system uses a computerized, GPS system called Bus Trek that has yet to keep service reliable. The MTA is already planning a new Bus Command Center with an upgrade to the technology.
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