ITS4US Deployment Program Phase 2 Webinar: Low-Speed Self-Driving Shuttles – State of the Technology and Sustainability and Equity Implications Presented by Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority and BuffALLo All Access

The ITS4US Deployment Program, led by the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) at the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), expands access to transportation for all travelers with a specific focus on underserved communities, including people with disabilities, older adults, veterans, individuals of low income, people in rural communities and those with limited English proficiency. This program embodies the Administration’s priorities of transportation equity, economic growth, sustainability, and most importantly, compassion and inclusivity. The program funds multiple large-scale replicable deployments in three phases:

• Phase 1: concept development
• Phase 2: design and testing
• Phase 3: operations and evaluation.

In June 2022, the deployment sites completed the concept development phase of each of their projects. The U.S. DOT awarded four teams with Phase 2 funding to support the design and testing of their projects based on their Phase 1 concepts. The four deployment sites are:

• Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)
• Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency (HIRTA)
• Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA)/Buffalo
• University of Washington (UW)

For more details on the ITS4US Deployment program, see the program’s website at: https://its.dot.gov/its4us/.

The ITS JPO is hosting a series of free, public webinars to allow each of the four Phase 2 deployment sites to publicly share topics and experiences that would be of interest to deployers considering innovative technology solutions to solve mobility challenges of underserved communities. These webinars will be an opportunity for each site to discuss their experiences during the Design/Build/Test Phase and engage the broader ITS4US Deployment Program Community about their efforts so far in Phase 2. At the end of the presentation, there will be an opportunity for the audience to ask the site questions about their project. Future deployers can benefit from lessons learned and experiences from the ITS4US deployment teams.

Please use the link below to register for the webinar. Live closed captioning will be provided for all webinars. When registering for the webinar, you will be able to request additional accessibility accommodations to participate. The deadline to request accommodations for each webinar will be 5 business days prior to the live event.

Title: Low-Speed Self-Driving Shuttles – State of the Technology, Sustainability and Equity Implications
Awardee: Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA)
Project Name: BuffALLo All Access
Webinar Date: May 16, 2023
Webinar Time: 2:00 to 3:30 pm ET

Brief Description: This webinar will survey the state-of-the-art of low-speed, Self-Driving Shuttle (SDS) technology, industry trends, vendors, along with current capabilities and limitations. In addition to providing participants with a review of a few examples of current deployments both in the US and worldwide, the presenters will walk through the process which the BuffALLo All Access Project Team engaged in to develop the Concept of Operations for the Self-Driving Shuttle subsystem as part of their overall project, formulation of the system requirements, and the translation of these into a successful Request for Proposal. The webinar will then conclude by summarizing the main lessons learned from this SDS process. 

Presenters: Elina Zlotchenko, ITS JPO/Federal Highway Administration

Site Presenters:

Adel W. Sadek, Professor
Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering
The Stephen Still Institute for Sustainable Transportation & Logistics
University at Buffalo

Stephen E. Still, Professor of Practice
Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering
The Stephen Still Institute for Sustainable Transportation & Logistics
University at Buffalo