The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) is responsible for licensing and regulating for-hire vehicles in New York City (NYC). As part of regulating taxi and livery services, TLC performs over 126,000 vehicle emissions and safety inspections annually. Emissions inspections are OBD. Safety inspections include examining a vehicle’s suspension, brakes, tires, wheels, steering, chassis, window glass, wipers, mirrors, horn, coupling devices, exhaust system, lights, seat belts and taximeters.
In 2014, TLC sought the services of an experienced I/M provider to upgrade the 10-year-old proprietary Automated Inspection System (“AIS”) used to conduct and manage the inspection process and to store the inspection results. It was necessary for the replacement AIS to appropriately and seamlessly integrate with operations at five (5) TLC locations as well as to connect to the City’s data center in Brooklyn. Additionally, the replacement AIS needed to include enhancements that would increase inspection throughput without compromising the quality and thoroughness of the inspections.
Based on experience, ingenuity, and customer references, Applus+ was awarded the contract and implemented the system which became fully operational in October 2016. Our solution provides TLC with the following: hardened inspection tablets, a vehicle information database; lane integration control software; a web-based Dashboard; real-time data exchanges and reporting; and a high level of AIS availability and IT service continuity.
The solution uses: RFID technology to detect, track and log the location of vehicles and inspectors throughout the inspection process; a vehicle queuing software application to minimize wait times; biometric facial recognition software for inspector identification and authentication; and in-lane printers to produce windshield stickers, vehicle inspection reports, and other documentation.
Currently, there are more than 260 dashboard users and the average inspection time ahs been reduced from 23 minutes to 18 minutes. The program has also issued more than 25,600 notices of violation.