The “Ridership Improvement” and “Inspection & Maintenance” challenges were announced earlier this year and solicited 112 applications from around the world in collaboration with more than 200 public sector evaluators.
Applicants were asked to propose tech-driven approaches to support the agencies’ objectives in analyzing ridership and travel demand data in order to improve ridership experience, as well as optimizing inspections and maintenance. Companies with promising solutions and demonstrated product-market fit attended in-person pitch and expo-style demo days with senior staff from participating agencies, providing the agencies with valuable exposure to new tech and ultimately resulting in this year’s cohort selection.
Ridership Improvement Challenge
How can we accurately measure, capture, and improve paid ridership and travel demand data to optimize transit schedules and communicate effectively?
- Jawnt (Philadelphia, PA) – Simplifies transit pass enrollment for organizations to help more people access and use public transportation. Partner Agency: Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
- Libelium Comunicaciones (Zaragoza, Spain) – Predicts, detects and provides real-time alerts on overcrowding events in transit facilities, and collects passenger movement data that can inform system improvements. Partner Agency: Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
- Matawan (Mâcon, France) – Through its WanData solution, leverages data analytics and AI to optimize transit operations by aggregating siloed data sources into one integrated, user-friendly platform, providing real time ridership data and predictive analytics to enhance service quality management. Partner Agency: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)
Inspection & Maintenance Challenge
How can we digitize manual inspections and optimize maintenance processes?
- Censys Technologies (Daytona Beach, FL) – Provides Al/ML sensor-independent suite of software tools that improve asset intelligence, assessment and predictive maintenance, as well as right-of-way inspection and vegetation intrusion detection by leveraging a wide range of sensor data and automating evaluation processes. Partner Agency: Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
- Flip AI (Kansas & New York) – Builds AI powered platforms that transform fragmented and messy maintenance and logistics data into real-time decisions from across commercial and public enterprises. Partner Agency: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)
- Kinexio (New York, NY) – Provides an enhanced product set for property management, which utilizes Near Field Communication (NFC) tags to provide scheduled maintenance inspection verification, establish reliable proof of presence, adhere to regulations, and enhance security protocols. Partner Agency: Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)
- Previsico (Loughborough, England) – Provides real-time flood forecasting solutions designed to support organizations’ emergency preparedness and risk mitigation. Partner Agency: Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)
- Routora (Dallas, TX) – Routora is an inspection routing workflow tool enabling agency supervisors to schedule, optimize, and oversee parameter-based, efficient multi-site routes for their inspectors. Partner Agency: New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT)
- SafetyCulture (Sydney, Australia) – Digitizes inspections, streamlines maintenance workflows, and drives continuous operational improvement through a mobile-first platform that empowers frontline teams to identify issues, ensure compliance, and prevent incidents. Partner Agency: Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
- Sahay AI (Philadelphia, PA) – Delivers faster and safer infrastructure inspections using LARR-E, an AI-powered robotic system mounted on revenue trains that detects faults, logs assets, cuts costs, and minimizes operational downtime. Partner Agency: Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
- Tomorrow.io (formerly ClimaCell; Boston, MA) – Delivers AI-powered weather intelligence by combining proprietary satellite data, advanced modeling, and a SaaS platform to drive real-time operational decisions, turning weather from an operational hazard into a competitive advantage for businesses and governments worldwide. Partner Agency: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)
- TwinKnowledge (New York, NY) –Provides AI-powered agents to help streamline construction document analysis and expedite capital asset projects. Partner Agency: Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)
The Transit Tech Lab, co-founded by the MTA and the Partnership Fund for New York City, notes that it has “yielded substantial success applying new technology to help government agencies deliver more effective services.” Since its inception in 2018, more than 1,000 companies have applied to participate in the program, 81 companies have tested their technologies, and 30 solutions have commercially scaled or informed commercial procurements.
