Skip to main content

AECOM sets up Automated Bus Consortium

AECOM has brought together around a dozen local US transit agencies to form the Automated Bus Consortium to explore driverless bus pilot programmes. Among the authorities are Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. ABC is looking into buying up to 100 full-sized autonomous buses that will run at normal speeds along designated urban routes. Meanwhile, AECOM will provide planning, assessment, implementation and
June 10, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

3525 AECOM has brought together around a dozen local US transit agencies to form the Automated Bus Consortium to explore driverless bus pilot programmes.

Among the authorities are 1275 Dallas Area Rapid Transit, 1795 Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the 4162 Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority.

ABC is looking into buying up to 100 full-sized autonomous buses that will run at normal speeds along designated urban routes. Meanwhile, AECOM will provide planning, assessment, implementation and evaluation of the services for the consortium members.

The plan calls for a 12-month feasibility study followed by buses rolling out onto roads between 2021 and 2022. Each agency will make their own decisions regarding future additional automated bus purchases and deployment following the completion of the feasibility phase.

AECOM said it will host a forum in Detroit, Michigan, in September for ABC members to meet technology companies and bus manufacturers to discuss the development of programme specifications. Buses are expected to roll out onto the members’ streets within two years.

Related Content

  • August 7, 2014
    Siemens tests eHighway system
    Siemens, in conjunction with Volvo, is to trial an eHighway system on a two-mile stretch of highway in California in the vicinity of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The company was awarded the contract by Southern California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) with the objectives of eliminating local emissions, reducing the consumption of fossil fuels and cutting the operating costs of trucks. The two ports are seeking an emission-free solution, Zero Emission I-710 Project, for a
  • March 14, 2025
    “Gas tax hasn't gone up since 1993: that's where tolling can come in”
    IBTTA president James Hofmann talks to Adam Hill about new beginnings plus the need for tolling to get the user experience right, streamlining digital experiences - and what to expect from the IBTTA Technology Summit in Dallas
  • August 20, 2024
    Congestion pricing: the time to act is now
    New York may have thrown a curveball on congestion pricing, but it is a proven global strategy for traffic management which cities should adopt, argues Wes Guckert of The Traffic Group
  • June 8, 2020
    Transit decisions during demos ‘not easy or obvious’
    Protests which can turn into civil unrest create headaches for managers and staff