How Hayden AI’s technology is making public transportation safer

Born in San Francisco and specialized in artificial intelligence and spatial analytics, Hayden AI works with public transport operators and cities to make streets safer and public transit more efficient. How? Thanks (also) to AI. The company has developed a Vision AI platform that uses cameras mounted on buses to monitor potential traffic violations, especially in areas dedicated to public transport.

For example, in recent months Hayden AI showcased its automated bus lane and bus stop enforcement technology here in Europe — in Hamburg, during the UITP 2025 Summit. This technology increase bus operating speeds by 5 percent on average and as much as 36 percent on congested road segments, and reduce collisions by 20 percent on average. The system is already in use across the United States and aims to establish itself in Europe as well.

As of today, Hayden AI has installed more than 2,000 vision AI systems on public transport buses around the world, including in Europe (Barcelona, Spain and Braga, Portugal).

Safer streets with Hayden AI’s solutions

Hayden AI is now launching its third automated bike lane enforcement program in the United States using bus-mounted cameras, in collaboration with the University of California San Diego (a solution already successfully tested in Sacramento, also in California). This is an automated system that monitors bike lanes and bus stops. Specifically, Hayden AI’s technology is installed on 15 buses in the Triton Transit fleet, UC San Diego’s transportation system, to help enforce rules against dangerous parking violations happening on campus.

A university campus is like a small city — a mirror of what happens on city streets. Illegal parking in bike lanes and bus stops creates safety risks for pedestrians, cyclists, public transit riders, and people with disabilities. Blocked bike lanes force cyclists to merge into car traffic. Blocked bus stops slow down riders and prevent people — especially those with disabilities — from getting on and off safely, because drivers cannot deploy the wheelchair-access ramp if a vehicle is parked illegally in the stop zone.

Using bus-mounted cameras for enforcement has been proven to change driver behavior and reduce parking violations blocking transit zones. Hayden AI’s automated enforcement system is already installed on buses in several U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, Santa Monica, Culver City, West Hollywood and –  outside of California – Chicago and Philadelphia. In Washington DC, this technology reduced bus stop–blocking violations by 32% in just one year.

Bus priority lanes, bus stops, and bike lanes

Hayden AI recently launched automated enforcement of bus lanes, bus stops, and bike lanes with the Chicago Transit Authority as well — bringing the number of major U.S. cities using the company’s technology to ten. The goal: improving road safety, public transit reliability, and accessibility at bus stops.

The system detects potential violations while the bus is moving, and all captured violations are reviewed by the City of Chicago before any fines are issued.

The use of bus-mounted cameras for enforcement has been shown to change driver behavior and keep transit zones clear of illegally parked vehicles, improving service punctuality, accessibility, and safety.

Marty Beard, Hayden AI’s new CEO

Since late summer, Hayden AI has had a new CEO: Marty Beard, former Co-Founder and CEO of alwaysAI and Chief Operating Officer at BlackBerry, where he helped lead the company’s shift from hardware to security software. His career also includes leadership roles at LiveOps (CEO), Sybase (President of Sybase 365), and Oracle (Vice President, Oracle Online).

«I’m honored to join Hayden AI at such an exciting time in the company’s growth. Hayden AI is already making a major difference in cities across the country — improving transportation safety and efficiency through its powerful vision AI platform and strong customer partnerships. I’m looking forward to working with the team to accelerate growth and expand the reach of our technology», Beard said following his appointment.