New AI-powered system to help detect motorists flouting traffic rules like driving in bus lanes

SINGAPORE – Video footage of motorists flouting traffic rules, such as driving in bus lanes during operating hours, will soon be analysed by a new system powered by artificial intelligence.

The system, which uses footage captured by cameras on buses, will be rolled out in stages from the fourth quarter of 2026 by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

During trials, the system got an average accuracy rate of about 90 per cent, said LTA. It added that it is working with public transport operators to get it rolled out to all bus routes by 2030.

LTA deputy director for innovation and analytics Germain Tay said: “This system can detect errant motorists who encroach into bus lanes, park illegally on roads, and other issues like road defects and non-compliant roadworks.”

LTA, in response to queries, said four buses covering routes that span 126km in total were fitted with the Video Analytics AI system during trials.

“Across scenarios tested, the four buses detected a daily average of seven vehicles that encroached into bus lanes,” LTA added.

In the last three years from 2023 to 2025, LTA issued an annual average of 36,800 summonses for bus lane encroachments.

Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling said reducing such encroachments will help to prevent situations where bus drivers have to brake suddenly to avoid collisions with vehicles in the bus lane.

This will help protect both drivers and their passengers, she added.

Sun was speaking at the annual public transport safety and security awards ceremony on Aug 21 in One Punggol.

In her address, she touched on a pilot initiative in which audio safety announcements were played on buses on 11 routes since August 2025.

The announcements remind commuters to hold on to hand grips and grab poles before the bus moves off.

Sun said: “This feature has been well received, and LTA will start to deploy an automated safety announcement feature from 2027.”

Technology-based solutions can play an important role in relieving bus captains of manual duties, and improve how the authorities assess safety risks, she added.

At the event, awards were given out to 5,364 bus drivers who have kept exceptional accident-free records in categories from one to 10 years. Each driver got a safe driving badge and cash ranging from $200 to $2,000.

Veteran bus driver Ang Chai Kee, who has not been involved in a single accident in his 30-year career, said: “The goal is to get passengers to their destination... and the most important thing is to be careful.” 

Ang, 58, is one of 838 drivers who got an award in the 10-year category.

He is also one of the top-performing drivers in Tower Transit Singapore, having memorised all the routes that the operator’s buses ply. 

Sun, in her speech, said the Bus Safety Tripartite Taskforce completed its review in 2025, and its recommendations are being rolled out.

About 99 per cent of all bus drivers have completed the Bus Captain Drive Safe Refresher Programme, and by October, all bus drivers would have completed the course, she added.

Driving times for bus drivers on 10 routes with run times that exceed two hours have also been cut to reduce fatigue from continuous driving and improve safety, Sun said.

“This includes adjusting the route or introducing a driver swap in the middle of the route to let our bus captains take a break,” she added.

At the ceremony, 60 public transport workers got special commendation awards for helping to avert security incidents, and 190 workers and teams got awards for developing new tools to help beef up transport safety.

The bus safety roadshow at One Punggol, which is part of efforts to raise public safety awareness, is open from Aug 21 to Aug 22.