Transit Innovation Partnership Selects 9 Startups for Accelerator Program

The Transit Innovation Partnership – a public-private initiative between the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the Partnership for New York City – has selected nine startup companies for its 2020 Transit Tech Lab accelerator program. Each of the startups will work with a mix of partner organizations including The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New York City Department of Transportation, New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, NJ Transit, and Amtrak. They will receive support as they develop software and sensor-based devices

In this second year of challenges, the focus will be on the following:

  • Accessibility – technology that can better serve customers with special needs, including those with auditory, visual, mobility and mental impairments, the elderly and child caregivers;
  • Curb Coordination – solutions for coordinating traffic at the curb among passenger cars, for-hire vehicles, public buses, commercial trucks, commuter vans, tour buses, bicycles, and pedestrians; Revenue – solutions that enable transit operators to capitalize on entrepreneurial opportunities; and,
  • Signaling – making legacy subway cars compatible with new signaling technology.

The nine startups include: Acoustic Protocol, NaviLens, Okeenea, Knaq, Allvision IOCARMERA, CurbFlow, Numina, and Miles.

“We are thrilled by the response to the 2020 Transit Tech Lab challenges in accessibility, curb coordination and revenue generation and look forward to the value these innovations will bring to customers,” said Rachel Haot, executive director of the Transit Innovation Partnership. “It is a testament to the MTA’s leadership and the tech sector’s dedication that this year nearly all of the region’s largest transit agencies have signed on as partners.”

Last year, the program selected six companies, four of which went on to develop regional pilots projects such as early detection of mechanical failures of buses and an app that delivers personalized alerts to users based on past commuting behavior.