SASKATOON — Saskatoon Transit has been awarded the prestigious 2023 Smart Cities Award for collaborating with Preteckt, an Artificial Intelligence technology company, to boost Transit’s bus maintenance operations. The accolade acknowledges Saskatoon Transit’s innovative use of Preteckt’s AI-powered predictive maintenance in its bus operations.
“We want to provide better reliability with even safer vehicles on the road. This technology works with our existing systems at Saskatoon Transit and is a great application of AI to bus maintenance,” said Saskatoon Transit Maintenance Manager Tracey Davis.
The technology developed by Preteckt detects issues in buses before they become critical interruptions to service and allows technicians to make repairs earlier than possible. We noticed immediate benefits, like reduced parts and labour costs, which will become part of our regular maintenance practices.
Preteckt’s expansion into transit authorities across North America has been successful, with 10 commercial contracts and several pilots already underway. The company’s AI technology analyses billions of vehicle data points to identify or flag potential maintenance issues.
The Saskatoon Transit-Preteckt partnership highlights the integration of advanced technology and is crucial to providing reliable, safe, and efficient transportation services.
Preteckt CEO Krish Inbarajan congratulated Saskatoon Transit on its leadership in integrating AI technology into its maintenance operation. “Being the first city fleet in Canada to source our technology through a competitive process means a lot to us. We’re looking forward to working with more fleets and cities in Canada."
Preteckt is a Hamilton-founded, Memphis-based AI company focused on maintenance to enhance vehicle availability, improve safety, and reduce costs to support maintenance staff and enable the future of work.
The technology was initially developed for trucking but has since expanded to serve other fleets, such as transit and school buses. It supports existing gas and diesel engines and is introducing its technology to electric vehicles in partnership with several fleets. The Preteckt team is passionate about serving the maintainers in the industry. Maintenance, maintainers, and digital workflow is its initial focus area.
In other news, Saskatoon Transit’s downtown terminal will undergo a short-term construction project starting today, May 8, to May 14, Sunday. The rehabilitation work aims to fix the structural deficiencies of the road surface and missing sections of the curb at the terminal.
The project has been scheduled for May to minimize the impact on transit riders and residents. The terminal will be moved along 3rd Avenue from 23rd to 24th streets with minimal effects on transit service and schedules. Wayfinding will be available to help locate transfers and buses, and transit staff will be on hand to assist.
Please note that the sidewalks on both sides of the existing terminal will stay open and the Transit Customer Service Centre will maintain regular hours of operation. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to improve.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] or 306.975.3100. Thank you for your cooperation and support.
