Strategic Transit Automation Research Plan 2.0: 2023-2028
This report is an update to the Federal Transit Administration’s 2018 Strategic Transit Automation Research Plan (STAR 1.0), which focuses on transit bus automation and the development of policy guidance “to make informed decisions related to future technology deployment.”
The STAR 2.0 report identifies the following key findings based on literature review, stakeholder consultation, and research results of STAR Plan 1.0 projects:
- Many transit agencies are interested in automation technologies.
- The limited number of buses sold annually and the difficulty in adapting driving automation systems from one platform to another has slowed the introduction of driving automation systems to transit buses.
- Development and commercialization of driving automation systems for transit bus applications is still at an early stage, and transit-specific research and development will take time.
- Implementing driving automation systems in transit buses will be a substantial investment, and funding it may be a challenge, especially with limited revenue streams and resource constraints.
- Federal investment in transit bus automation research is critical to creating outcomes that meet public policy goals.
The report also identifies research needs, such as data gaps and the need for labor and workforce research, and lays out a 5-year research roadmap, which focuses on “safe, equitable, and effective transit automation deployments, demonstrating nearly-market-ready prototype technologies in real-world settings, and learning from and sharing knowledge with the transit stakeholder community.”