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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 bus-lane camera program to DASH routes after strong results on Metro buses, but Budget and Finance still needs to approve the $3.4 million funding and formalize the transit-only lane designations.

Introduced
2021-10-20
Last changed
2026-09-16
CFMS file status
File open See note on file status
Expires
2028-09-16
Committee
Budget and Finance Committee
Mover
MIKE BONIN
Second
KEVIN DE LEON
References
Related Council File: 19-0885City Attorney Report: R24-0384

This is the City Clerk's status for the council file itself, not the outcome of the measure. A file often stays open after the Council has already adopted an item. The summary above reflects the latest recorded action.

Brief

Introduced in October 2021 by Councilmembers Mike Bonin and Paul Krekorian, this motion directs the Los Angeles Department of Transportation and Metro to implement automated camera enforcement of bus lane violations. The program aims to protect dedicated transit lanes and support the NextGen Bus Plan. Council adopted an ordinance setting fines for violations in October 2024 (effective December 1, 2024). As of September 2026, the Transportation Committee approved updated department materials and transmitted the file to Budget and Finance Committee, indicating ongoing implementation and budget coordination.

Full summary

In October 2021, Councilmembers Mike Bonin and Paul Krekorian introduced a motion directing LADOT and Metro to develop and deploy an automated camera enforcement system to cite drivers who illegally park or stop in designated bus lanes. The program supports the NextGen Bus Plan by protecting transit lanes and improving bus speed and reliability. It operates under AB 917, the state law that authorizes transit agencies to use bus-mounted cameras to capture parking violations in bus lanes and zones and issue citations. The Metro phase of the program launched in November 2024, following Council's October 2024 approval of a Memorandum of Understanding between LADOT and Metro to deploy 100 cameras on Metro buses across five routes. The technology vendor, Hayden AI, was selected through a competitive bid. Results through January 2026 were substantial: roughly 281,000 potential violations were sent to the citation system, generating over $21 million in gross revenue. Bus lane speeds improved, on-time performance on routes 212 and 720 increased by 7 to 9.8 percent, and citations dropped 33 percent after one year as driver behavior changed. Building on that success, LADOT's August 2026 report proposes expanding the camera program to LADOT-operated DASH bus routes. The first phase, planned to begin November 2026, would place up to 30 cameras on downtown DASH routes A, B, D, E, F, and the Pico-Union route. A second phase would add 20 cameras on DASH routes serving Crenshaw, Panorama City/Van Nuys, Watts, and Wilshire Center/Koreatown. LADOT plans to piggyback on Metro's existing Hayden AI contract, with total costs not to exceed $3,429,640 over three years. The program is expected to be self-funding, with citation revenue deposited into the General Fund and used to cover contractual costs. LADOT also asked Council to formally designate 12 street segments as transit-only lanes by resolution — a prerequisite for issuing citations — and to adopt an updated Automated License Plate Recognition use policy. Privacy protections include destruction of non-violation footage within 15 days and retention of violation evidence for no more than six months. The Transportation Committee approved LADOT's August 2026 report and transmitted the file to Budget and Finance Committee on September 16, 2026, where it now awaits action on the funding and resolution requests. State authorization for the camera program, originally set to expire January 1, 2027, is expected to be extended to 2034 under AB 1837, which the California Legislature recently passed and which was awaiting the Governor's signature at the time of LADOT's report.

Activity (59)

  • 2026-09-16 Transportation Committee transmitted Council File to Budget and Finance Committee.
  • 2026-09-16 Transportation Committee approved item(s) .
  • 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 (75)

Council votes (1)

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

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