![\"a](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hillside-ave-dot.jpg\" "\\"MTA")
\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Hillside Avenue in Queens.<\/p>\n
Photo by NYC DOT<\/p>\n
The MTA<\/a> will begin hitting drivers who violate traffic rules surrounding its buses with fines on two more Queens routes starting April 17, it announced on Tuesday.\n<\/p>\n The transit agency said fines issued under its Automated Camera Enforcement (ACE) program<\/a> would kick off Friday on both the Q17 and Q27 bus routes, which go from Flushing to Jamaica and Cambria Heights, respectively.<\/p>\n The ACE program, which first launched in June 2024<\/a>, involves cameras attached to MTA buses that catch and record scofflaw drivers who impede the bus drivers\u2019 ability to quickly move riders around the city \u2014 generally by parking or operating vehicles in bus lanes. The agency then shares the footage, images, and license plate information it captures with the city Departments of Transportation and Finance for review.<\/p>\n Drivers caught on the bus-mounted cameras using busways and bus lanes, blocking bus stops, or double-parking will be issued summonses starting at $50 and scaling up to $250 for repeat offenses.\n<\/p>\n With the two latest routes added to the ACE enforcement program, the MTA will have rolled it out on 60 lines, according to the agency. Over 1,700 buses are now equipped with the cameras, covering 560 miles and serving over one million riders on a given weekday.<\/p>\n DOT has relied heavily on the expansion of ACE to boost bus speeds, counting routes where they have been added as miles of protected bus lanes, the agency is required to add under the Streets Plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n The MTA touts ACE as a sweeping success.\n<\/p>\n It says that routes with installed cameras, along with bus lanes and other street enhancements, have seen much faster bus speeds. Some segments of camera-enforced corridors have experienced speed increases up to 30% \u2014 a welcome change given that buses move at a sluggish eight miles per hour on average citywide.<\/p>\n The program has also led to a 20% drop in crashes and has cut emissions by 5% to 10% on the routes where it has been installed. There has also been a 40% reduction in the number of bus stops blocked by vehicles on ACE routes.\u00a0<\/p>\n