The Regional Municipality of York Receives Municipal Innovation Award

Ottawa, Ontario, August 20, 2024 – The Peter J. Marshall Innovation Award Jury presented its highest award to The Regional Municipality of York for its automated transit facility inspection program. The award was presented to Wayne Emmerson, York Region Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson, at the 2024 AMO Conference in Ottawa.

York Region’s transit system helps move more than 80,000 commuters across a system spanning 1,700 square kilometres. York Region manages 6,050 bus stops that offer transit shelters, benches, bike racks, and garbage and recycling receptacles. 

Each York Region Transit’s (YRT) bus stops require routine inspections and maintenance – a process that takes significant staff time. In 2023, YRT invested in CITYROVER, an artificial intelligence (AI) program that helps streamline and simplify the tedious process of inspecting each individual bus stop. 

Now selected buses in YRT’s fleet are equipped with a smart camera set up to scan and monitor shelters as the bus stops along its route. Using AI, the camera captures and analyzes images for issues like maintenance and structural problems. Then it compiles an inspection report and uploads the data to a cloud server.

This approach has drastically improved York Region’s ability to keep bus shelters in good repair for transit riders. By equipping buses that are already travelling around York Region with technology to assess and analyze data, staff are alerted to incidents and issues in real time and take care of problems proactively. 

The project is improving service and saving money. York Region estimates it would cost about $3.8 million annually in staff time for routine inspections, and tens of millions of dollars to install camera systems at all stops. With this technology in place, York Region staff are responsible for frequent inspection of two per cent of stops, while CITYROVER AI technology takes care of the rest.  
The eight cameras currently in operation provide monthly coverage of approximately 3,210 stops, based on scheduled bus routes. 

“On behalf of York Region and York Regional Council, we proudly accept the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s P.J. Marshall Award for York Region Transit’s Automated System-Wide Transit Facility Inspection Project,” said York Region CEO and Chairperson Wayne Emmerson. “This innovative technology uses real-time data and artificial intelligence to enhance amenities, efficiently address concerns and improve service for our 21 million annual transit riders. York Region remains committed to providing cost effective, quality transit services that connect people, jobs and communities today and every day.”

The P.J. Marshall Award is an annual competitive process to acknowledge municipalities who have had creativity and success in implementing new, innovative ways of serving the public. It is sponsored by AMO, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks & Treasurers of Ontario, the Canadian Council for Public Private Partnerships, the Municipal Finance Officers’ Association, and the Ontario Municipal Administrators’ Association.

In addition to The Regional Municipality of York, two other municipalities – the City of Peterborough and Town of Midland – received plaque awards. 

AMO works to make municipal governments stronger and more effective. Through AMO, Ontario’s 444 municipalities work together to achieve shared goals and meet common challenges.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Brian Lambie, AMO Media Contact, 416-729-5425, lambie@redbrick.ca