AI and AV are the New Drivers of the Ever-Evolving Public Transit Future The history of public transportation is one of constant evolution and reinvention. Since the origin of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) in 1882, transit providers have been at the center of continuous technology and institutional change. Through each ensuing decade, transit systems have been ever evolving. Over the past ten years, technologies enabling mobility-on-demand (TNCs, bike-share, micro transit) have become part of the urban mobility landscape. Today, automated vehicles (AV), artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) are at the cutting edge of another wave of technology-driven innovation. Transit agencies are eager to better understand the potential for AI so APTA has been working to provide resources and opportunities for information sharing. The recent APTAtech Conference in St. Louis (August 9-12, 2026) provided the opportunity for a deep-dive into the various ways transit agencies are putting Artificial Intelligence to work today to boost efficiency, service delivery, security, and the overall rider experience. Prior to that, in May 2026, APTA released Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in Public Transit: A Primer, providing public transit agencies with a comprehensive resource for understanding, evaluating, and deploying AI and ML tools across their operations. Findings were based on a survey of transit agencies and staff interviews to capture current and planned AI applications. Real-world examples documented in the Primer include: - Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NY) increased maintenance productivity by 75 percent and decreased material costs by 24 percent in a test fleet, using an AI-powered predictive maintenance system for its bus fleet. - AC Transit (CA) used AI image recognition for bus lane enforcement, increasing violation citations from 22 to 787 over a comparable two-month period following implementation. - Riverside Transit Agency (CA) piloted a disruption management tool