Automated Bus Consortium issues new request for solutions (RFS) to procure highly automated transit buses

The Automated Bus Consortiumtm, a collective of U.S. transit agencies and several state departments of transportation, has released a new request for solutions (RFS) to procure heavy-duty highly automated transit buses. Following the release of the first RFS in January 2022, the guidelines have been updated to reflect advancements within the automation industry to allow for flexibility in bus size and propulsion systems.

"We have made great strides in further advancing the automated transit industry through our previous request for solutions," said Jean Ruestman, administrator of the Office of Passenger Transportation at the Michigan Department of Transportation. "By incorporating our latest priorities with updated automation requirements to this year's best-value procurement, we feel confident in our ability to better meet agency needs."

The RFS represents the first automated bus procurement and large-scale deployment for heavy-duty buses. The State of Michigan is serving as the lead procurement agency on behalf of the Consortium. Based on agency procurement decisions, these vehicles would be placed into service on pilot routes in pre-determined environments selected by each participating agency, resulting in significant advancements in understanding the impacts of automation. Pilot routes for these vehicles would include rural and urban deployments, bus rapid transit, bus yard and local bus service.

Current participants in this program include member agencies City of Detroit, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, MetroLINK, Michigan Department of Transportation/Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, Capital Area Transportation Authority, Michigan State University, Huron Transit Corporation, NJ TRANSIT, Trinity Metro and RATP Dev USA.

Formed by AECOM, the Automated Bus Consortium is a first-of-its-kind approach to cooperatively investigate the feasibility of automated bus projects and accelerate the deployment of automated transit technologies. By combining the purchasing power of multiple agencies across the U.S., the Automated Bus Consortium aims to accelerate the adoption of state-of-the-art, safety-focused automated features not yet available to the U.S. industry. These features are designed to assist the bus operator in maneuvering the vehicle safely and improve service reliability.

The 2024 RFS can be found here.

Public transit agencies and state departments of transportation are welcome to join the Consortium as new members and are encouraged to contact us at [email protected] to learn more.

About the Automated Bus Consortium

With rapid advancement of automated technologies and the urgent need to improve mobility options while safely and effectively mitigating congestion, the Consortium's collaborative effort to leverage its combined resources and launch its pilot deployment program of heavy-duty highly automated buses is groundbreaking. Using cost-efficient and standardized methodologies and assessment, the Consortium will lead the nation's effort to deploy and evaluate automated bus technology. Learn more about the Consortium at https://www.automatedbusconsortium.com.