New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the Transit Innovation Partnership – a public-private initiative launched by the MTA and the Partnership for New York City with the mission to make New York the global leader in public transit – recently announced the third round of the Transit Tech Lab. This round is seeking private companies that can provide innovative technological solutions to make transit safer, cleaner, healthier, and more responsive. They are specifically looking for products that can eliminate contaminated aerosols in a confined environment.
“To truly modernize every element of how we run our transit system, you have to look far and wide for new ideas,” said Interim New York City Transit President, Sarah Feinberg. “That means tapping into the city’s robust entrepreneurial and technology scenes and thinking in new ways about how a vital institution like New York City Transit can embrace innovation in everything it does.”
Other regional transit agencies – such as the New York City Department of Transportation, New Jersey Transit, and the Port Authority – are also seeking a broad range of technological solutions, including:
- thermal monitoring tools and systems to automatically measure body temperatures;
- cleaning materials and equipment;
- methods of measuring and encouraging distancing in shared transit spaces;
- tools to measure, communicate and mitigate crowding within the transit system;
- tools and frameworks to identify and communicate potential exposure risks;
- tools to measure and support the use of masks and other personal protective equipment;
- innovations in personal protective equipment;
- methods of redesigning shared spaces and fare collection;
- platforms to expand customer feedback and communication opportunities;
- autonomous cleaning robots and robotic equipment;
- secure digital services to further support mental and physical health among transit employees; and,
- tools to support remote transit employees.
“The pandemic hit us in New York like no other place in the country. MTA took unprecedented steps the past four months, opening itself up to innovative ways to reduce the risk to our riders and our workers,” said MTA Chief Innovation Officer Mark Dowd. “We are excited to partner with the Transit Innovation Partnership in our quest to find new technologies and approaches that safely remove contaminated aerosols from our public transit system.”
Companies interested in applying are required to submit an application by July 30 at transitinnovation.org.