Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CapMetro) has selected a team led by WSP through a partnership with Perrone Robotics, Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) and Clever Devices on a bus yard automation project. The project will automate (Level 4) a 40-foot battery electric bus to increase bus yard operational efficiency and safety.
The $1.26 million project is partly funded by a nearly $950,000 grant provided through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) for Transit Buses Demonstration and Automated Transit Bus Maintenance and Yard Operations Demonstration Program, with CapMetro funding the remaining costs.
Automated bus yard operations, a crucial component of modern transit systems, will enhance how buses are stored, operated and charged. WSP is partnering with TTI to develop an automation workforce analysis. Based on previous Transit Cooperative Research Program-funded research, the analysis will address how bus yard automation could impact existing roles and create demand for new positions.
The project’s goal is to demonstrate how automated fleet technology can streamline bus yard operations, which would improve yard capacity by 20-25 percent, reduce costs, enhance safety and shave an average of 15 minutes off daily pull-ins and pull outs for each trip, according to WSP.
“WSP is committed to shaping the future of zero-emission transportation,” said Severin Skolrud, vice president of emerging technology, transit and rail at WSP. “New technology needs bold innovators to push boundaries and test the capabilities and challenges that are necessary for more scalable solutions and CapMetro is taking that role head-on.”
Throughout the initial phase, WSP will provide vital engineering support throughout. Phase 2 of the FTA deployment program may include retrofitting multiple heavy-duty battery-electric buses (BEBs)—instead of a single heavy-duty BEB for phase 1—and developing the automated fleet dispatch software to remotely manage bus yard maneuvers.
“While phase 1 will yield important results and provide valuable lessons, phase 2 will be the true test for retrofitting multiple automated electric buses and will yield more relatable results for transit operators to determine the technology’s ability to provide daily operational and safety benefits within the bus yard,” Skolrud said.
The project is set to commence in the fourth quarter of 2023 and will be conducted at CapMetro’s North Ops facility in Austin, Texas.
