The Los Angeles Department of Transportation plans to start putting enforcement cameras on its DASH buses in November 2026. The DASH bus cameras will record cars parked in bus-only lanes or at bus stops, and drivers will get warnings before any fine.
What the DASH bus cameras will do
According to an Aug. 31 LADOT memo to the City Council, the first phase covers 30 buses. Twenty serve the downtown DASH routes A, B, D, E and F, and 10 serve Pico-Union. A second phase would add 20 buses on the Crenshaw, Panorama City/Van Nuys, Watts and Wilshire Center/Koreatown routes.
The cameras are the same type Metro already uses on its own buses. They flag vehicles that block a transit-only lane or a stop, and staff review the footage before a citation goes out. The vendor is Hayden AI, and the city would share Metro’s existing contract. That contract covers up to 50 cameras for three years and is capped at $3,429,640.
Warnings first, then $293 tickets
State law requires a 60-day warning period, so the first weeks bring no fines. LADOT also says it will run a public outreach campaign. After that, Streetsblog LA reports the automatic ticket is $293 for blocking a bus lane or stop.
The city also describes privacy limits. Video without a violation is destroyed within 15 days. Video that shows a violation is kept for up to six months, or 60 days after the citation is resolved, whichever is later.
Why the city wants it
LADOT says a 60-day pilot on two downtown routes logged more than 3,400 possible violations, about four per bus per hour. In some cases, drivers had to unload riders in a travel lane because a car blocked the curb. That slows boardings and adds risk.
The city also points to Metro’s results. From the program’s November 2024 start through January 2026, Metro and LADOT report a 33 percent drop in citations after one year. They also say 77 percent of people committed only one violation. On-time performance rose 7 to 9.8 percent on routes 212 and 720.
What is still pending
As of Sept. 23, the program still needed full City Council approval. The memo also notes that the state authority for bus-camera enforcement ends Jan. 1, 2027. Lawmakers have passed AB 1837 to extend it to 2034, and it takes effect once the governor signs it. If the extension fails, the city would end the contract by Jan. 1, 2027.
For drivers, the practical advice is simple: do not stop in a marked bus lane or at a bus stop, even briefly. For more on projects that change how buses move, see our Los Angeles and California guide and our report on the Vermont BRT groundbreaking. Timing could shift, so check LADOT’s site for the start date. Fines and rules can change; this article is general information, not legal advice.
Here are the main sources: the LADOT council memo, the Streetsblog LA report, and Santa Monica Next on the existing program.