SMART-TD General Chairperson John Ellis of GC 875 and his team recently attended the InnoTrans 2024 conference in Berlin, Germany. As the largest transit conference in the world, the show brought together nearly 3,000 exhibitors from 59 countries, showcasing the latest innovations in transportation technology. The SMART-TD was joined by leaders from ATU and AFSCME.
Ellis explains, “the visit was arranged by MTA CEO Stephanie Wiggins to gauge our interests and concerns with emerging transit technologies. We engaged in four days of intensive meetings with vendors and transportation technology experts, while examining the latest weapons detection systems for bus and rail; advanced security enclosures for bus and train Operators; and accident-avoidance systems for use in bus and light rail systems. We listened to vendor proposals and gave our feedback and concerns.
“We felt our visit was critically important to help us understand the role artificial intelligence (Al) and other new technologies will play in future transit systems. Knowing what’s out there will help us to propose engineering and procedural safeguards for our members.
“The opportunity allows us to get involved with vendors at the beginning stages of procurement and provide critical input BEFORE vehicle systems are finalized. The opportunity to give early feedback represents a huge step forward in efforts to cooperatively design and implement enhanced safety and security systems for all our members.
“We would like to especially thank our ATU counterparts for working closely with us, offering ideas and support toward our common goal of safety and security for all. The cooperative approach shown by MTA marks the beginning of more joint efforts to bring the best technologies to SMART-TD members.”
This effort is part of a union-wide initiative to stop transit violence and ensure the safety of all workers.
