The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is currently exploring the potential utilization of drones to monitor its roughly 6,000-strong bus fleet. This has given rise to substantial pushback from transit union representatives, who have voiced concerns about job security and the effectiveness of such technology. The MTA's Department of Buses revealed, through a public document, a request for information from vendors by December 18 on drone use for creating a "real-time map" of bus locations and vehicle traffic patterns along service routes, as reported by The Post.
Transit union leaders have critiqued the MTA's drone concept as a "fishy" waste of spending, suggesting that actual service line dispatchers are far more effective than drones could be in managing vehicle locations and safety inspections. "What does a drone know?" Michael Carrube, president of the Subway-Surface Supervisors Association, told The Post, highlighting the perceived shortcomings of such technology in comparison to human supervision. The Transit Supervisors Organization president, Philip Valenti, echoed these sentiments, describing the MTA's plan as "suspicious" and expressing worries concerning historical inefficiencies with past technology projects.
Despite the backlash, the MTA seems intent on exploring the use of drones within a total 28 bus depots, suggesting potential cost savings associated with the adoption of this new form of fleet management. "NYC Transit is researching savings opportunities related to fleet management and there are zero new costs associated with the review," a MTA spokesperson stated, as captured in an interview by The Post. However, union leaders remain unconvinced, with both Carrube and Valenti advocating for an investigation into the MTA's spending practices on new technology initiatives that often fall short of expectations.
The concept of utilizing drones for monitoring operations is not entirely novel within the context of New York's transportation system. NYPD drones have been employed to surveil outdoor subway lines and tackle the challenge of subway surfing—a dangerous practice that has gained notoriety in part due to social media. These NYPD drones have proved cost-efficient, according to Mayor Eric Adams, because "these flights are pennies on the dollar," as detailed in an interview with Route Fifty. This use of drones has seen success, with significant numbers of individuals being caught engaging in unsafe activities. Nevertheless, whether such drone surveillance can be equally effective for bus fleet management remains a contentious point among MTA's workforce.
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