Broken Down Buses May Be A ‘Sight Of The Past’ In New York State

New technology may stop buses from breaking down in the region.

Recently, while going to a concert at Bethel Woods the bus I took broke down on Route 17. I'm not one to get annoyed at things I can't control.

Yes, it was disappointing to be stuck on Route 17 for about 45 minutes, but I realize on rare occasions vehicles will have mechanical issues.

But maybe not anymore.

New Technology Could Stop Buses From Breaking Down

A spokesperson for Preteckt, a company founded in Canada but now based in Memphis, reached out to Hudson Valley Post to let us know that the company's Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology may make buses breaking down a thing of the past.

"The Memphis-based AI company uses digital data from the vehicles to identify issues in bus engines and helps mechanics quickly locate potential problems in bus engines before they cause catastrophic failure. It is able to sift through millions of data performance points and creates precise maintenance repair plans for technicians," the spokesperson said to Hudson Valley Post in an email.

Dutchess County Public Transit selects Preteckt to empower its bus maintenance team with the latest AI technology

The company just secured a commercial agreement with Dutchess County Public Transit.

"I’m flagging to you some news from the Dutchess County Public Transit (DCPT) that may soon make broken-down buses a sight of the past," the spokesperson added. "The transit agency has announced it is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology from Preteckt to detect and address issues in buses before they become critical interruptions to service. The DCPT maintenance team tested the technology and found it was the only one that met its requirements to improve fleet maintenance."

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Preteckt’s AI technology will be used across the Dutchess County Public Transit fleet of buses.

“Preteckt’s technology works with the existing systems at DCPT and it is a great application of AI to bus maintenance. Our maintenance teams saw immediate benefits and this technology is being incorporated as part of our maintenance toolset,” Director of Public Transit for Dutchess County Michael Grattini said. “Our team has also started using Preteckt for remote maintenance, which is especially useful now as supply chain issues have impacted availability of much-needed diagnostic tools.”

Dutchess County officials "carried out a robust procurement process" to find the right technology that would improve fleet maintenance, officials note. After a long review, Dutchess officials choose Preteckt’s technology

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“Preteckt recognizes DCPT’s leadership for the foresight and vision to add our AI tool to assist their maintenance teams,” CEO of Preteckt Krish Inbarajan said. “The same technology being deployed at the largest transit agency NYC Transit is being used at DCPT. Software does not differentiate by size of fleet. “Preteckt is an AI company, but our only focus is AI for vehicle maintenance. By bringing innovation to the vehicle maintenance industry, which hasn’t seen a lot of changes in the past few decades, we are empowering vehicle technicians with a powerful tool that can pinpoint issues in bus engines, thus saving time and reducing costs for the agency.”