The MTA plans to use artificial intelligence technology to help prevent buses from breaking down on the road. The agency has tested the tech -- from the company Preteckt -- for two years. He said it can flag serious equipment problems long in advance, enabling crews to be more proactive about bus maintenance. Sills said the technology prevents "progressive damage." "Where you have a small issue that can be fixed fairly inexpensively with little amount of time that, if you get ahead of, can prevent you from damaging a very expensive component," he said.

This is part of a series on machine intelligence companies. We've interviewed Beagle, Mariana, and Beyond Verbal. Now we're turning our attention to Preteckt, which is applying machine learning to maintaining trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles. Few things are more frustrating than a vehicle breakdown. They're unexpected, impede our ability to go about our lives, and can end up costing more than most of us would like to pay.