MTA to Expand Fines Through Bus-Mounted Cameras to M7 Route
A new route in Manhattan is being added to the automated camera enforcement program that the MTA rolled out two years ago will bring the total number of monitored routes across all five boroughs to 63. Hefty fines are in store for repeat offenders.
| 09 Jul 2026 | 03:19
The MTA will begin to issue fines to vehicles through bus-mounted cameras along the M7 bus route, which runs from West 147th Street to West 14th St. (
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The M7 bus route currently has 55 stops that run from West 14th St. in Chelsea up to West 147th Street in Harlem. (
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In a bid to keep motor vehicles out of bus lanes, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) said it is expanding its automated camera system effective July 10 to buses on Manhattan’s M7 route that runs from Harlem to Chelsea.
The Automated Camera Enforcement (ACE) program, a bus-mounted camera system, issues violations to vehicles occupying bus lanes, double parked vehicles along bus routes, and to vehicles blocking bus stops. Violators will receive fines that start at $50 and go up to $250 for multiple offenses. The program, which launched June 2024, is a joint partnership between the MTA, NYC Department of Finance (DOF), and NYC’s Department of Transportation (NYC DOT).
Currently, ACE is active on 63 routes, applying to more than 1,900 buses across the five boroughs. The M7 route, which runs from 147th to 14th St., is one of three new routes to use the ACE program, with Queens’ Q10 and Q80 bus routes also starting July 10.
The MTA said the program allows buses to “run faster, safer, and more reliably,” and benefits over one million riders each day by improving the efficiency of bus lanes and bus stops. In some ACE-equipped routes, the MTA reported increases in speeds by nearly 30%.
Violations are captured by cameras, including license plate information and time/location, on multiple buses and are sent to NYC DOT for review before notifying offenders of fines, which can be paid through normal payment methods online or to DOF in-person. According to the MTA, the program is successful in deterring future offenses, with an average 10% repeat violation rate.
There are now 17 Manhattan routes which employ ACE: M2, M4, M7, M14-SBS, M15-SBS, M23-SBS, M31, M34-SBS, M42, M57, M60-SBS, M79-SBS, M86-SBS, M96, M100, M101, and M116.
The M7 bus route, which has been in a 60-day warning period as a new ACE corridor, will begin issuing fines July 10. To know which routes employ ACE, vehicle owners can check the MTA’s list, as well as look to signage indicating camera enforcement along each route.