The MTA is looking to potentially deploy drones as eyes in the sky that would provide additional insights on its fleet of close to 6,000 buses.
A document posted to the transit agency’s website last week says New York City Transit’s Department of Buses is reaching out to qualified vendors for ways to “manage and oversee its bus operations more effectively” through an aerial vehicle program that would be used within bus depots, at outdoor depot parking lots and along bus service routes.
“DOB envisions the deployment of one or more drones to survey these depot facilities at regular time intervals and to transit their findings to inform a real-time ‘map’ of the buses,”
reads the Request for Information, which asks that potential vendors submit information on newly developed or off-the-shelf technologies by Dec. 18.
According to the document, the MTA is exploring ways to use throughout its 28 bus depots in the city and to provide insights on traffic patterns along bus service routes.
Union leaders argue that drones would be ineffective compared to the service line dispatchers who currently monitor bus lines, keep track of the vehicles in the yards and make sure all of them “are safe for public service.”
“How do you accomplish something like that with a drone? What does a drone know?”
Michael Carrube, president of the Subway-Surface Supervisors Association, which represents more than 3,000 transit workers, told The Post.
“A drone sees a bus running down a line and what is the drone doing? It does nothing. That supervisor out in the field is what moves the system, which moves the public from point A to point B — not a drone,” Carrube said.
SSSA Union President Michael Carrube
Philip Valenti, president of the Transit Supervisors Organization/Transport Workers Union Local 106, which represents around 700 bus dispatchers, called the MTA’s drone plan “suspicious.”
“To me they’re suspicious because they get into these multi-year, multi-million dollar contracts with these vendors and they don’t work out,” Valenti told The Post.
The MTA already uses a program called Yard Tracker to keep tabs on its bus fleet — and Valenti said it has failed to accurately monitor vehicles parked inside the 28 bus depots.
“Every time they embark on a new piece of technology, it never works. It’s a disaster,” Valenti charged.
He said the MTA should be investigated for spending waste.
“To me there should be an internal investigation trying to find out why they spend all this money on these types of programs, and they’re never working out for them. To me, something fishy is going on, some ulterior motive,” Valenti suggested.
Carrube agreed, saying the MTA’s move to drones could risk another expensive misstep, further contributing to the transportation agency’s reputation for mismanaging funds.
“This is something that goes on continuously, and they just continue to waste money. Yet the MTA cries that they are broke. They need more money, they need more money,” he said.
A spokesperson for the MTA said the drone program could actually result in cost savings for the city.
“NYC Transit is researching savings opportunities related to fleet management and there are zero new costs associated with the review,”
the statement said.
Top and Centre Photos: The Department of Buses operates 252 local and 72 express bus routes in the five boroughs –Dorian Geiger
Sources: Route Fifty; New York Post