Research Program: Automated Transit Buses |
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K. Jane Williams
Federal Transit Administration
16 January 2018
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 16, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2321-2323]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-00615]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
[Docket No. FTA-2017-0024]
Research Program: Automated Transit Buses
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) seeks public comment
regarding the current and near-future status of automated transit buses
and related technologies. FTA seeks comments in particular from parties
involved in the development, demonstration, deployment, and evaluation
of currently available or near-market ready automated buses; systems
and components that support bus automation; and ancillary systems that
support non-driving bus operator functions (e.g., wheelchair
securement, occupant detection, passenger information assistance, fare
payment, etc.). For purposes of this notice, ``bus'' is defined broadly
to consider a range of sizes, vehicle platforms and configurations, and
passenger capacities, and could include both traditional and novel
vehicle designs (e.g., full-size city buses, articulated buses, small
shuttles, etc.). ``Bus'' includes bus rapid transit.
DATES: Comments must be submitted by March 2, 2018. FTA will consider
late-filed comments to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: Please submit your comments by only one of the following
methods, identifying your submission by docket number FTA-2017-0024.
All electronic submissions must be made to the U.S. Government
electronic site at http://www.regulations.gov.
(1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov
and follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
(2) Mail: Docket Management Facility: U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
(3) Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-
140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
(4) Fax: 202-493-2251.
Instructions: You must include the agency name (Federal Transit
Administration) and Docket number (FTA-2017-0024) for this notice at
the beginning of your comments. Submit two copies of your comments if
you submit them by mail. For confirmation that FTA received your
comments, include a self-addressed stamped postcard. Note that all
comments received will be posted without change to www.regulations.gov
including any personal information provided and will be available to
internet users. You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement
published in the Federal
[[Page 2322]]
Register on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477).
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents and
comments received, go to www.regulations.gov at any time or to the U.S.
Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Docket
Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington,
DC 20590 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions, contact Steve
Mortensen, Office of Research, Demonstration and Innovation, Federal
Transit Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Room E43-422,
Washington, DC 20590, phone: (202) 493-0459, fax: (202) 366-3765, or
email, Steven.Mortensen@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Overview
Transportation currently is undergoing a transformation. As
traveler preferences and needs recently have evolved and continue to
change, so have the capabilities of emerging transportation
technologies and, more importantly, the operational concepts defining
how those technologies will be deployed in our communities.
Motor vehicle automation (both as a technology platform and service
model) has become the most talked about development for surface
transportation in recent times. Many industry stakeholders and
observers anticipate and expect that public transportation will have a
significant role in this new space, as garnered from transit
stakeholders during FTA preliminary research on the subject. Certain
operational applications such as circulator or first mile/last mile
service are clear instances where the use of automated motor vehicles
could play a very effective role, based on transit stakeholder input
and preliminary benefit-cost information on these service types.
Circulator service is regular service within a closed loop, typically
on a fixed route, and may be found in business parks, retirement
communities, college campuses, downtowns, etc. First mile/last mile
service provides service between high-capacity fixed-route service,
such as rail transit and bus rapid transit, and a traveler's origin
and/or destination, usually within a radius of three miles and often in
an area of low-density development.
FTA is seeking comments and information for the purpose of
determining the current state of the industry as related to automated
vehicle technology in order to make more informed decisions regarding
future areas of research. The intent of this request for comments is to
gauge the transit industry and other sectors' ability and interest in
responding to one or more near-future Notices of Funding Opportunity
(NOFOs) for demonstration(s) and evaluation(s) of use cases where
commercially ready technology and products could be applied to transit
to provide early demonstrable results. FTA has identified transit bus
automation use cases, organized into five general categories, as
outlined below:
1. Transit Bus Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)
Smooth Acceleration and Deceleration
Automatic Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Collision
Avoidance
Curb Avoidance
Object Avoidance
Precision Docking
Narrow Lane/Shoulder Operations
Platooning
2. Automated Shuttles
Circulator Bus Service
Feeder Bus Service
3. Maintenance, Yard, and Parking Operations
Precision Movement for Fueling, Service Bays, and Bus Wash
Automated Parking and Recall
4. Mobility-on-Demand Service
Automated First/Last Mile
Automated Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Paratransit
On-Demand Shared Ride
5. Automated Bus Rapid Transit
This notice is a request for comments and information only. It is
not a solicitation for project proposals. Submission of any information
in response to this notice is voluntary. The Government will not pay
for any effort expended in responding to this notice.
II. Scope and Submission of Comments
The goal of this notice is to better inform FTA of existing transit
bus automation technology, and to assist FTA in identifying potential
areas of future research. For purposes of this notice, ``bus'' is
defined broadly to consider a range of sizes, vehicle platforms and
configurations, and passenger capacities, and could include both
traditional and novel vehicle designs (e.g., full-size city buses,
articulated buses, small shuttles, etc.). ``Bus'' includes bus rapid
transit.
FTA requests comments for a broad range of automation technologies
spanning automation levels 1-5 as defined in the Society of Automotive
Engineers (SAE) standard J3016_201609 (see http://standards.sae.org/j3016_201609/). Responses to this notice will help inform FTA on the
technological readiness of the transit industry to participate in
demonstrations of use cases as identified above.
In particular, FTA seeks comments with respect to the following
areas of interest:
A. What transit bus automation and supplemental technologies
currently exist, and/or are being developed? Are there any ADAS,
inclusive of automated actuation (e.g., as in an automated emergency
braking application), currently available or soon to be available in
the market? If so, please specify or describe these new systems and
products.
B. What light-duty and commercial vehicle automation technologies
currently on the market or in development could be transferred or
applied to transit buses?
C. Are there any new business models or processes that may arise in
response to or may accommodate transit bus automation, including, but
not limited to, cross-organizational data management and exchange? If
so, please specify or describe these new potential business models or
processes.
Please note FTA is not seeking comments pertaining to systems
without an automated driving aspect (e.g., driver warnings and alerts),
unless the system is evolving to include automation in the foreseeable
future. Please also note that this notice is not seeking comments
related to rail fixed guideway systems or personal rapid transit
systems.
Each response should indicate which level of automation the
technology or process addresses. Inclusion of existing supplemental
information is welcomed and encouraged. This supplemental information
could include reports, presentations, specifications, or other
documentation. Interested parties are requested to respond to this
notice in writing as soon as possible but not later than March 2, 2018.
This request for comments is for information and planning purposes
only, and is a market research tool to determine the availability and
adequacy of potential business sources prior to determining the method
of acquisition and possible issuance of a Request for Proposal (RFP) or
NOFO, including the use of any non-profit organization or small
business program. This notice does not constitute a solicitation for
bids, quotations, and proposals, and is not to be construed as a
commitment by FTA to issue an RFP or NOFO. FTA is not obligated to and
will not pay for any information received from potential sources as a
result of response to this
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notice. FTA will not pay for any materials provided in response to this
notice and submittals will not be returned to the sender.
Each response should reference the docket number (FTA-2017-0024),
and provide the name and contact information (company, company
representative's name, phone, email, etc.) of the submitter, at a
minimum.
For information about the Federal Transit Administration, please
refer to the FTA website at https://www.transit.dot.gov/.
Issued in Washington, DC, on January 10, 2018 under authority
delegated in 49 CFR Part 1.91.
K. Jane Williams,
Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2018-00615 Filed 1-12-18; 8:45 am]
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