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Request for Information on Transit Bus Automation Research and Demonstrations Publication: Federal Register Agency: Federal Transit Administration Byline: Nuria I. Fernandez Date: 2 June 2022 Subjects: American Government  , Autonomous Vehicles, Buses
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 106 (Thursday, June 2, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33574-33576]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-11782]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
[Docket No. FTA-2022-0012]
Request for Information on Transit Bus Automation Research and
Demonstrations
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Request for information.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) continues to research
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Automated Driving Systems
(ADS) in public transportation use cases. In 2018, FTA completed its
five-year Strategic Transit Automation Research Plan (STAR Plan). In
preparation for the next five-year plan, FTA is issuing this request
for information (RFI). This RFI seeks input from public and industry
stakeholders on the next phase of research, collaboration and
engagement, technology development, and demonstration of ADS or ADAS
necessary to improve the safe, efficient, equitable and climate-
friendly provision of public transportation and sustain the associated
workforce. Comments received through this RFI will provide critical
information for FTA to develop STAR Plan 2.0.
DATES: Comments are requested by August 1, 2022. Comments received
after the closing date will be considered to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: You may file comments identified by docket number FTA-2022-
0012 by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, West Building Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building Ground Floor, Room
W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax: (202) 493-2251.
[[Page 33575]]
Note that all comments received will be posted without change to
http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information
provided.
Privacy Act: Except as provided below, all comments received into
the docket will be made public in their entirety. The comments will be
searchable by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or
signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association,
business, labor union, etc.). You should not include information in
your comment that you do not want to be made public. You may review
DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published
on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78) or at https://www.transportation.gov/privacy.
FOR FUTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Danyell Diggs, Office of Research,
Demonstration, and Innovation, (202) 366-1077 or danyell.diggs@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In January 2022, Secretary Buttigieg
released USDOT's Innovation Principles, which call for experimentation
and learning, collaboration, and flexibility to accommodate changing
technologies, while serving the Department's policy priorities and
supporting workers.\1\ A major technology innovation area in surface
transportation is the development and commercialization of ADAS and
ADS. As a convener and facilitator, USDOT partners with a broad
coalition of stakeholders to support the safe development, testing and
integration of automated vehicle technologies.\2\ Though automation is
relatively mature in rail transit operations, the application of ADAS/
ADS in transit bus operations continues to lag behind, despite its
potential to enhance safety for operators, transit passengers,
bicyclists, pedestrians, and those using micro-mobility devices such as
scooters.\3\
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\1\ https://www.transportation.gov/priorities/innovation/us-dot-innovation-principles.
\2\ https://www.transportation.gov/AV.
\3\ SAE International has defined six levels of driving
automation, ranging from L0 (no driving automation) to L5 (full
driving automation: https://www.sae.org/standards/content/j3016_202104/. ADAS is generally categorized as L2-L3 while ADS is
L4-L5.
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FTA's transit bus automation research plan has been organized
around four complementary work areas: (1) Enabling research; (2)
integrated demonstrations; (3) strategic partnerships; and (4)
stakeholder engagement, knowledge transfer, and technical assistance.
Each work area encompasses several priority topics including, but not
limited to, safety, accessibility, workforce impacts, and others.
Enabling research explores fundamental questions for the transit
industry to understand the costs, benefits, opportunities, and
consequences of driver assist and fully automated technologies in the
transit industry and implications for safe, accessible, and sustainable
operations and maintenance. Integrated demonstrations provide real-
world, test-bed studies of market-ready or near market-ready
technologies. Demonstrations provide insight into technical
performance, user acceptance, and capital and operational costs and aid
in the development of standards, policies, and regulatory
modernization. Strategic partnerships leverage the research of other
agencies for applicability in the transit sphere. Stakeholder
engagement involves broad outreach to gather input from diverse
stakeholders.
To date, FTA has a number of demonstrations underway and has
completed important research studies recommended in the STAR Plan.
Information on all activities is available at: https://www.transit.dot.gov/automation-research.
Questions for the Public
Automation technologies have evolved and advanced within public
transportation since the initial STAR Plan was published in 2018. More
changes are expected as the transit industry further invests in
automation solutions. To structure input and feedback to FTA on STAR
Plan 2.0, please use the corresponding number and heading when
providing responses to this request for information:
1. Priority Areas
The STAR Plan 2.0 needs to reassess the priorities and areas of
activity for the next five years. Examples may include workforce
development, sustainability and climate impacts, guidance for
investment or deployment, accessibility, cybersecurity, equity,
regulations and standards, and domestic manufacturing market support,
among others.
FTA seeks information from stakeholders on:
[cir] What topics should be a priority for FTA's transit bus
automation research and demonstrations over the next five years? What
specific activities or products should be a priority for FTA within
these areas?
[cir] For any priority areas identified, are there activities that
stakeholders have undertaken? What were the challenges? Are there
specific areas where FTA engagement may be needed?
2. Enabling Research
FTA has completed extensive enabling research, including:
[cir] Market Analysis for Automated Transit Buses and Supporting
Systems;
[cir] Automation Policy Review;
[cir] Business Case for Transit Automation;
[cir] Transit Bus Applications of Light and Commercial Vehicle
Automation Technology;
[cir] Hazard and Safety Analysis of Automated Transit Bus
Applications; and
[cir] Test Facility Requirements for Automated Transit Vehicles;
FTA seeks information from stakeholders on:
[cir] What specific research questions should be addressed by FTA-
supported foundational research within the next five years? Possible
topic areas for research include, but are not limited to,
cybersecurity, equity, standards, and workforce training.
3. Integrated Demonstrations
The STAR Plan currently identifies five integrated demonstrations:
Transit Bus Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS); Automated
Shuttle; Maintenance, Yard, and Parking Operations; Mobility-on-Demand
(MOD) Service; and Automated Bus Rapid Transit.
FTA seeks information from stakeholders on:
[cir] Are these demonstration areas still needed? What additional
or alternative demonstration areas are a priority?
[cir] What are the biggest successes or challenges to deploying
ADAS or ADS technologies for transit?
4. Strategic Partnerships
FTA routinely collaborates with other modal agencies across USDOT
and participates in the community of practice to identify cross-cutting
technologies with positive applicability for the transit industry.
FTA seeks information from stakeholders on:
[cir] What ADAS/ADS technologies proven in other transportation
applications would be useful and applicable to transit use cases?
Please be specific and include examples where possible.
5. Stakeholder Engagement and Knowledge Transfer
To drive research into practice, FTA conducts multiple types of
stakeholder engagement, including webinars, interviews, convening peer
agencies, and presentations at conferences.
FTA seeks information from stakeholders on:
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[cir] Are FTA's methods of stakeholder engagement sufficient? What
other methods should FTA consider?
6. Workforce
Automation will not replace transit bus operators in the
foreseeable future, nonetheless, transit bus automation and automated
features will impact the transit workforce, including bus operators,
maintenance workers, and the domestic supply chain, including bus
manufacturers.
FTA seeks information from stakeholders on:
[cir] What activities have agencies undertaken to understand and
prepare for the impacts of automation on their workforce? Please be
specific and include examples where possible.
[cir] What types of new skills, training, and resources may be
required for transit workforce development and transition?
[cir] What specific areas of workforce-related research should FTA
consider?
[cir] What types of resources could FTA provide to help agencies
and their workers adopt transit bus automation?
Please note, this RFI will serve as a planning document. The RFI
should not be interpreted as policy, a solicitation for applications,
or an obligation on the part of the Government.
Nuria I. Fernandez,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2022-11782 Filed 6-1-22; 8:45 am]
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