Pedestrian Protector for Transit: AI-Driven Safety Solution

Every day, nearly 96 million people depend on transit buses to navigate through busy streets and urban environments.

The complexity of city landscapes is constantly increasing, as are the challenges for transit systems to maintain safety and efficiency.

As ridership steadily climbs back to pre-pandemic numbers, the need for advanced safety solutions to protect those who rely on public transportation is more important than ever.

Enhancing Transit Safety with New Technology

Traditional safety measures aren’t advanced enough to address the dynamic and unpredictable nature of modern transit environments.

Urban areas are becoming more congested and transit routes more complex. Traditional surveillance systems, while effective for many applications, cannot provide the real-time oversight needed to ensure pedestrian safety.

Transit operators face a number of safety challenges they have to constantly navigate, including blind spots and unexpected hazards, and these challenges become even greater in busy areas or in poor weather conditions.

The need for advanced systems that can provide real-time monitoring and alerts would enable drivers to respond quickly to potential hazards and make transit systems safer for everyone.

Visibility Challenges in Transit

Transit buses have multiple visibility challenges that can jeopardize the safety of both passengers and pedestrians.

One of the primary safety issues in any bus is blind spots, which are the areas around the bus that the driver cannot see directly.

High pedestrian traffic, cyclists, and other vehicles can also affect the driver’s view, making it difficult to monitor all areas around the bus.

Poor weather conditions like rain, fog, or snow can also reduce visibility and increase the likelihood of accidents.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), accidents due to blind spots account for over 800,000 crashes annually, and result in more than 300 fatalities.

It’s an alarming number, and one that could be drastically reduced with a system that could offer comprehensive monitoring around transit vehicles.

The Pedestrian Protector for Transit

Gatekeeper’s Pedestrian Protector for Transit is a new solution designed to enhance safety around transit buses using advanced technology.

This innovative system uses AI and video analytics to continuously monitor a bus’ surroundings.

When the bus stops, the system activates and scans the exterior environment for pedestrians.

The Pedestrian Protector for Transit is integrated with Gatekeeper’s 360° Surround Vision System and Video Display Mirror, and displays a panoramic view around the vehicle.

The system identifies pedestrians with color-coded bounding boxes on the display screen—red boxes for those within ten feet and yellow boxes for those between ten and twenty feet away.

Optional audio alerts can also signal to the driver that there are nearby pedestrians and help them react quickly to potentially dangerous situations.

This comprehensive monitoring system ensures that drivers are fully aware of their surroundings, making for safer transit for both drivers and pedestrians.

AI-Powered Advanced Monitoring

The Pedestrian Protector for Transit system uses Gatekeeper’s Video Display Mirror which features dual-display views.

These dual views provide drivers with a complete 360° view of their surroundings.

When a transit bus is stopped, such as at a bus stop, the video system automatically shows an exterior view, which includes nearby vehicles.

When pedestrians are nearby, it automatically switches to a curbside view and identifies pedestrians with bounding boxes for easy proximity recognition.

The system focuses on pedestrians and is not triggered by stationary objects such as signs or trees.

For the dual display, the left display uses AI to identify pedestrian hazards and the right display records video of passengers exiting the bus, standing at the curb, crossing in front of the bus and crossing the street.

This visual alert system helps drivers quickly identify potential hazards, remain aware of their environment and respond to potential dangers.

This feature is critical when passengers are boarding or alighting from the bus, one of the most dangerous times during a transit journey.

Integration for Transit Systems

The Pedestrian Protector for Transit system can be integrated into both new and existing transit buses.

Its flexible design allows for easy adoption by transit authorities, and makes it an ideal solution for improving passenger and pedestrian safety across diverse transit systems.

Setting New Standards in Transit Safety

The Pedestrian Protector for Transit system is a significant advancement in transit safety.

The system’s ability to highlight and track pedestrians in real time minimizes the risks associated with blind spots, ensuring drivers have comprehensive situational awareness.

By providing operates with the critical data they need, it can help reduce pedestrian accidents and increase overall transit safety.

This innovative approach to monitoring and alerting transforms how transit agencies can protect passengers and pedestrians,  and sets a new standard for safety in public transportation.

Embracing Technological Advancements for Safer Cities

As technology advances, so does the ability to leverage new advancements to make cities safer than they have ever been before.

The Pedestrian Protector for Transit is a transformative solution that uses the power of AI to protect people in transit, and is at the forefront of a wave new technology that will change the way we make transit safer for everyone.