The cameras already installed on public buses in Singapore will soon get some help from artificial intelligence.
From the fourth quarter of 2026, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will progressively roll out an AI-powered video analytics system that analyses footage from existing bus cameras.
It can flag motorists who enter bus lanes when they should not, vehicles parked illegally along roads, defects in road infrastructure and road works that do not comply with requirements.
The system is expected to expand to all bus routes by 2030.
The AI Flags Possible Problems, It Does Not Automatically Fine You
To be clear, getting spotted by the AI does not mean an instant summons is magically generated before the bus reaches the next stop.
LTA said the technology will improve its ability to monitor the bus network, allowing problems to be identified for more timely rectification or enforcement where necessary.
In other words, the system detects and flags potential issues. LTA has not said that every AI detection will automatically result in enforcement action.
LTA deputy director for innovation and analytics Germain Tay said the system can identify motorists entering bus lanes or parking illegally, along with issues such as road defects and non-compliant road works.
Senior Minister of State for Transport and National Development Sun Xueling said at the Public Transport Safety and Security Awards 2026 on 21 August that technology could also reduce some of the manual duties performed by bus captains.
She added that cutting down on vehicles encroaching into bus lanes could reduce situations where bus captains have to brake suddenly to avoid a collision, improving safety for drivers and passengers.
Trials Had About 90% Accuracy
LTA said trials of the system achieved an average accuracy of about 90% across the scenarios tested.
LTA told The Straits Times that four buses were equipped with the Video Analytics AI system during the trial. The routes covered by the buses spanned a combined 126km.
Across the scenarios tested, those four buses detected an average of seven vehicles a day encroaching into bus lanes.
Bus lane violations are hardly a rare occurrence either. LTA told ST that it issued an average of 36,800 summonses a year for bus lane encroachments from 2023 to 2025.
The upcoming rollout builds on work that LTA had already begun earlier. In 2024, the authority called for technology solutions that could use existing bus camera footage to identify traffic offences and infrastructure defects.
Other Bus Safety Changes Are Also Coming
The AI system was one of several bus safety measures highlighted at the awards event at One Punggol.
LTA has been testing audio safety announcements on 11 bus services since August 2025. These remind passengers to hold onto hand grips and grab poles before the bus moves off.
A fully automated version of the announcement system will be progressively introduced across the bus fleet from the end of 2027, alongside an upgrade to the Bus Fleet Management System.
LTA has also been reviewing 54 bus services with runtimes longer than two hours to reduce driver fatigue. So far, driving time has been shortened on 10 of them through measures such as changing routes, introducing mid-route driver swaps or converting continuous loop services into bi-directional routes.
As of July 2026, 99% of bus captains had also completed the Bus Captain Drive Safe refresher programme. LTA expects all bus captains to complete it by October 2026.
The Bus Safety Roadshow at One Punggol runs from 21 to 22 August.
