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Bus Lane Violations Enforcement / Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) / Metro / Automated Cameras / AB 917 (Bloom) / NextGen Bus Plan

Council File 21-1224

In progress — the city is expanding its successful bus lane camera enforcement program to city-owned DASH routes after strong results on Metro lines, pending committee hearings and formal council approval of transit lane designations and an updated surveillance policy.

Introduced
2021-10-20
Last changed
2026-09-11
Status
open
Expires
2028-09-11
Committee
Budget and Finance Committee
Mover
MIKE BONIN
Second
KEVIN DE LEON
References
Related Council File: 19-0885City Attorney Report: R24-0384

Brief

Councilmembers Bonin and Krekorian introduced a motion to implement automated camera enforcement of parking and stopping violations in bus lanes and at bus stops, aligned with AB 917 and Metro's NextGen Bus Plan. LADOT and Metro entered a memorandum of understanding to deploy cameras citywide. Council adopted an ordinance in October 2024 establishing fines and penalties for violations of California Vehicle Code Section 22500(m). The file has been adopted by Council, transmitted to the Mayor, and is now effective as of December 1, 2024. Recent activity shows additional departmental reports and committee reviews as of September 2026.

Full summary

In October 2021, Councilmembers Mike Bonin and Paul Krekorian moved to establish an automated camera enforcement program for bus lane violations across Los Angeles, in support of state legislation (AB 917) and Metro's NextGen Bus Plan. The motion directed LADOT to partner with Metro to deploy bus-mounted cameras that detect and document vehicles illegally parked or stopped in bus lanes and at bus stops, and to report back on implementation timelines, public communications, staffing needs, budget requirements, and any local legislative actions needed to authorize the program. The program, known as the Automated Bus Lane Enforcement (ABLE) program, launched under a memorandum of understanding between LADOT and Metro in October 2024. Metro contracted with Hayden AI to supply camera hardware and software, operate a back-end database and dashboard, and prepare citation evidence packages for LADOT review. One hundred cameras were deployed across five Metro bus routes operating within the city. Results from the program's first year, November 2024 through January 2026, were substantial: 281,000 potential violations were sent to the citation management system, generating over $21 million in gross revenue. Transit performance improved measurably, with trip time reliability up 2.4 percent during PM peak hours and on-time performance for routes 212 and 720 improving by 7 to 9.8 percent. Compliance also improved, with citations dropping 33 percent after one year and 77 percent of violators committing only a single offense. Council adopted an ordinance in October 2024 amending the Los Angeles Municipal Code to set base fines and late payment penalties for violations of California Vehicle Code Section 22500(m), effective December 1, 2024. Building on those results, LADOT is now seeking to expand the ABLE program to its own DASH bus routes. In an August 2026 report, LADOT General Manager Laura Rubio-Cornejo asked the Council to adopt a resolution formally designating 12 city street segments as transit-only traffic lanes — a required step before citations can be issued — and to adopt an updated Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) Use Policy. The expansion would proceed in two phases: Phase 1, starting November 2026, would equip 30 DASH buses serving downtown routes A, B, D, E, F and the Pico-Union corridor; Phase 2 would add 20 more buses on Crenshaw, Panorama City/Van Nuys, Watts, and Wilshire Center/Koreatown routes. The contract with Hayden AI, piggybacked from Metro's competitively bid agreement, is capped at $3,429,640 over three years. A 60-day warning period and public outreach campaign are required before citations are issued. The state authorization underpinning AB 917 was set to expire January 1, 2027, but AB 1837 has been passed by the legislature to extend it to January 1, 2034. Citation revenue will flow to the General Fund after covering program costs. The file remains active and pending before the Budget and Finance Committee and Transportation Committee. The Transportation Committee scheduled the LADOT expansion request for a hearing on September 16, 2026. Multiple neighborhood councils — including North Westwood, Westwood, Venice, Downtown LA, NoHo, and South Robertson — have submitted community impact statements over the course of the file.

Activity (57)

  • 2026-09-11 Transportation Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on September 16, 2026.
  • 2026-09-01 Department of Transportation document(s) referred to Budget and Finance Committee; Transportation Committee.
  • 2026-08-31 Document submitted by Department of Transportation, dated August 31, 2026.
  • 2026-05-27 Transportation Committee noted and filed item(s).
  • 2026-05-27 Transportation Committee transmitted Council File to Budget and Finance Committee.
  • 2026-05-22 Transportation Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on May 27, 2026.
  • 2026-05-12 Community Impact Statement submitted by North Westwood Neighborhood Council.
  • 2026-04-08 Department of Transportation document(s) referred to Budget and Finance Committee; Transportation Committee.
  • 2026-04-08 Document submitted by Department of Transportation, dated April 7, 2026.
  • 2026-01-16 Council action final.
  • 2026-01-14 Council adopted item, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
  • 2026-01-09 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on January 14, 2026.
  • 2025-12-02 Budget and Finance Committee approved as amended .
  • 2025-11-26 Budget and Finance Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on December 2, 2025.
  • 2025-05-19 Community Impact Statement submitted by Westwood Neighborhood Council.
  • 2024-12-16 Council action final.
  • 2024-12-13 Council rereferred item to Budget and Finance Committee, pursuant to Council Action of December 13, 2024, Council File No. 24-2000.
  • 2024-12-13 Council adopted item forthwith.
  • 2024-12-10 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on December 13, 2024.
  • 2024-11-20 Transportation Committee approved as amended .
  • 2024-11-15 Transportation Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on November 20, 2024.
  • 2024-11-14 Department of Transportation document(s) referred to Transportation Committee.
  • 2024-11-13 Document(s) submitted by Department of Transportation, as follows:Department of Transportation report, dated November 13, 2024, relative to the progress of the bus lane enforcement program and a Resolution.
  • 2024-10-22 Ordinance posted/published. Ordinance effective date: December 1, 2024.
  • 2024-10-17 Council action final.
  • 2024-10-09 City Clerk transmitted file to Mayor. Last day for Mayor to act is October 21, 2024.
  • 2024-10-08 Council adopted Motion (Rodriguez - Krekorian) to refer Amending Motion 22A(Hernandez - Raman) and Amending Motion 22B (Park - Hutt) to the Budget, Finance and Innovation Committee, and adopted the Transportation Committee Report and Ordinance, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
  • 2024-10-04 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on October 8, 2024.
  • 2024-09-18 Transportation Committee approved as amended .
  • 2024-09-17 Transportation Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on September 18, 2024.
  • 2024-09-04 Community Impact Statement submitted by North Westwood Neighborhood Council.
  • 2024-08-07 Transportation Committee continued item to a date to be determined.
  • 2024-08-02 Transportation Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on August 7, 2024.
  • 2024-08-01 Department of Transportation document(s) referred to Transportation Committee.
  • 2024-07-31 Document(s) submitted by Department of Transportation, as follows:Department of Transportation report, dated July 29, 2024, relative to an overview of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Los Angeles Department of Transportation and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to use cameras to enforce parking violations in bus lanes and bus stops.
  • 2024-07-25 City Attorney document(s) referred to Transportation Committee.
  • 2024-07-25 Document(s) submitted by Los Angeles City Planning Commission, as follows:City Attorney report R24-0384, dated July 25, 2024, relative to a draft Ordinance amending Los Angeles Municipal Code Chapter VIII, Article 1, Section 89.60, to establish a base fine and late payment penalties for a violation of California Vehicle Code Section 22500(m).
  • 2023-04-03 Community Impact Statement submitted by Venice Neighborhood Council.
  • 2023-01-20 Council action final.
  • 2023-01-18 Council adopted item, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
  • 2023-01-13 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on January 18, 2023.
  • 2022-11-17 Community Impact Statement submitted by Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council.
  • 2022-11-01 Transportation Committee approved item(s) .
  • 2022-10-28 Transportation Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on November 1, 2022.
  • 2022-09-30 Transportation Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on October 6, 2022.
  • 2022-09-30 Department of Transportation document(s) referred to Transportation Committee.
  • 2022-09-29 Document(s) submitted by Department of Transportation, as follows:Department of Transportation report, dated September 29, 2022, relative to a camera bus lane enforcement program.
  • 2022-03-23 Community Impact Statement submitted by NoHo Neighborhood Council.
  • 2022-03-17 Community Impact Statement submitted by South Robertson Neighborhood Council.
  • 2021-12-28 Community Impact Statement submitted by South Robertson Neighborhood Council.
  • 2021-12-14 Community Impact Statement submitted by Mid City WEST Neighborhood Council.
  • 2021-11-19 Community Impact Statement submitted by Los Feliz Neighborhood Council,Los Feliz Neighborhood Council.
  • 2021-11-10 Council action final.
  • 2021-11-09 Council adopted item forthwith.
  • 2021-11-05 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on November 9, 2021.
  • 2021-11-02 Transportation Committee approved item(s) .
  • 2021-10-20 Motion referred to Transportation Committee.

Documents (73)

Council votes (1)

  • 2026-01-14 Vote — 12-0-3 · Regular

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