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Budget analysts recommend citywide vehicle telematics; supervisors praise safety and cost benefits
Summary
A budget analyst presentation outlined a citywide vehicle telematics ("black box") program with estimated one-time costs of $1.3 million and $1.8 million in annual services, citing fuel, safety and litigation-savings and urging privacy safeguards and uniform oversight.
The Government Audit and Oversight Committee reviewed a budget and legislative analyst report April 9 recommending expansion of vehicle telematics across the San Francisco city fleet, with supervisors urging the board to pursue implementation with appropriate privacy and oversight protections.
Fred Brusso, representing the budget analyst's office, said the office analyzed telematics capabilities, costs and examples from other jurisdictions. "To expand vehicle telematics citywide, there would be a one-time cost of $1,300,000 in equipment and installation, and then a $1,800,000 ongoing cost for services, training, and administration for the remaining vehicles," Brusso reported.
Principal analyst Julian Metcalfe described expected benefits: location tracking, diagnostics, speed and safety reporting, and fuel-efficiency monitoring. He cited examples: Sacramento's pilot saved $60,000 in fuel in the first month on 184 vehicles, and an SFMTA drive-cam pilot saw nearly a 50 percent drop in accidents during its first year.
Analysts and supervisors acknowledged privacy and security concerns. The presentation noted that vehicle use policy treats city vehicles similar to city-owned computers and recommended enterprise-level security, employee-privacy protections and uniform reporting requirements so managers can use telematics data as a management tool.
Supervisor Yee and colleagues praised the report as thorough and noted that telematics could advance Vision Zero safety goals by encouraging safer driving patterns. No public comments were offered on the item; the committee closed the item and indicated interest in pursuing legislation and implementation plans.
