Skip to main content

New Flyer and Robotic Research partner on driverless buses

Bus manufacturer New Flyer of America has partnered with Robotic Research to develop driverless bus technology. The partners will deploy advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) in heavy-duty transit bus applications. New Flyer says the partnership supports the Federal Transit Administration’s plan to assess potential risks, barriers and mitigation strategies associated with the implementation of automation technologies in transit buses. Both companies will seek to develop an Xcelsior Charge battery-e
May 21, 2019 Read time: 1 min

Bus manufacturer New Flyer of America has partnered with Robotic Research to develop driverless bus technology.

The partners will deploy advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) in heavy-duty transit bus applications.

New Flyer says the partnership supports the 2023 Federal Transit Administration’s plan to assess potential risks, barriers and mitigation strategies associated with the implementation of automation technologies in transit buses.

Both companies will seek to develop an Xcelsior Charge battery-electric bus equipped with SAE Level 4 ADAS technology which, according to New Flyer, allows a vehicle to perform all driving tasks autonomously while monitoring the driving environment.

The technology will be tested at unspecified Robotic Research facilities in late 2019, with closed course operation anticipated for 2020. A trained safety attendant will remain on board to evaluate the demonstration.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Getting C/AVs from pipedream to reality
    October 17, 2019
    The UK government has suggested that driverless cars could be on the roads by 2021. But designers and engineers are grappling with a number of difficult issues, muses Chris Hayhurst of MathWorks Earlier this year, the UK government made the bold statement that by 2021, driverless cars will be on the UK’s roads. But is this an achievable reality? Driverless technology already has its use cases on our roads, with levels of autonomy ranked on a scale. At one end of the spectrum, level 1 is defined by th
  • Truck platooning trials take to the highways
    July 24, 2017
    There is rising enthusiasm in America and beyond for the concept of truck platooning with trials being planned in several US states, as David Crawford reports. Growing numbers of US states are considering or implementing plans for trials of electronically-linked truck platooning on public road networks. This is in response to the interest being shown by the US$70bn a year road freight industry, where fuel represents 41% of the operating costs making the prospect of improving fuel economy by trucks travellin
  • Truck platooning trials take to the highways
    July 24, 2017
    There is rising enthusiasm in America and beyond for the concept of truck platooning with trials being planned in several US states, as David Crawford reports. Growing numbers of US states are considering or implementing plans for trials of electronically-linked truck platooning on public road networks. This is in response to the interest being shown by the US$70bn a year road freight industry, where fuel represents 41% of the operating costs making the prospect of improving fuel economy by trucks travellin
  • San Diego orders 50 CNG buses from New Flyer of America
    February 13, 2018
    New Flyer of America has been awarded a contract by the San Diego Metropolitan System (MTS) to supply 50 Xcelsior compressed natural gas (CNG) buses with the intention of replacing existing models in the fleet over the next five years. The order supports MTS' state-of-good-repair efforts and its commitment to clean fuels. Additionally, MTS intends to use 17 of the sixty-foot, heavy duty transit buses currently in production for its new South Bay Rapid Transit (BRT) service expected to open later this yea