More than just counting passengers

The AI-supported passenger counting system differentiates between individual features

After years of research, INFODEV has deployed a new AI-based Automatic Passenger Counting (APC) system in pilot projects in North America over the past two years. The projects achieved over 99.7 percent accuracy in high-density traffic environments. INFODEV investigated how AI technology could be used to enhance the capabilities of its APC systems. In order to pay more accurately, payments should be supplemented with additional information about the passengers. The system was developed to recognize objects related to micromobility and accessibility, such as bicycles, wheelchairs, scooters and baby carriages. It can also distinguish between children and adults, regardless of their height.

In discussions with customers and transport company stakeholders, INFODEV discovered that their solution can be used for more than just providing information on passenger numbers. The system can also function as a safety mechanism, capable of recognizing personal protective clothing such as safety vests and hard hats and triggering an alarm if a person or object enters an area where they are not supposed to be. With the aim of improving the system's capabilities and providing users with new functions, the system can now be trained to recognize new objects - for example, employees' uniforms - or determine whether a passenger has presented their ticket or card to the reader. INFODEV is also working on the development of special modules that are tailored to the specific needs of different departments in transport companies. Ongoing pilot projects include the creation of daily origin-destination reports that provide an anonymized overview of passengers' travel experiences. These reports aim to understand their needs and improve their overall travel experience.

Data protection through design

INFODEV is following the "privacy by design" approach and offers solutions that comply with the General Data Protection Regulation in which images of passengers can be deleted immediately if required. The generated output data is anonymized to be no more privacy intrusive than traditional APC. Advanced cyber security measures protect against hacker attacks. "By working closely with customers on various pilot projects, INFODEV is recognizing the increasingly valuable benefits that the AI revolution will bring to the transportation industry," says Charles-Gabriel Deslauriers, Software and Research & Development Project Manager at INFODEV.