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pdfFTA Annual Report on Public
Transportation Innovation
Research Projects for FY 2018
FEBRUARY 2019
FTA Report No. 0129
Federal Transit Administration
PREPARED BY
Federal Transit Administration
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Courtesy of Edwin Adilson Rodriguez, Federal Transit Administration
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essential to the objective of this report.
FTA Annual Report
on Public
Transportation
Innovation
Research Projects
for FY 2018
FEBRUARY 2019
FTA Report No. 0129
SPONSORED BY
Federal Transit Administration
Office of Research, Demonstration and Innovation
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
AVAIL ABLE ONLINE
https://www.transit.dot.gov/about/research-innovation
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1. AGENCY USE ONLY
2. REPORT DATE
February 2019
3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED
October 1, 2017 - September 30, 2018
4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE
FTA Annual Report on Public Transportation Innovation Research Projects for FY 2018
5. FUNDING NUMBERS
6. AUTHOR(S)
Edwin Adilson Rodriguez
Office of Research Management, Innovation, and Outreach
Federal Transit Administration
7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES)
Federal Transit Administration
US Department of Transportation
Research, Demonstration and Innovation 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20590
8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER
9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES)
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Transit Administration
Office of Research, Demonstration and Innovation
East Building
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
10. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY REPORT
NUMBER
11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES
FTA Report No. 0129
FTA Report No. 0129
[https://www.transit.dot.gov/about/research-innovation]
12A. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
Available from: National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Springfield, VA 22161.
Phone 703.605.6000, Fax 703.605.6900, email [orders@ntis.gov]
12B. DISTRIBUTION CODE
TRI-30
13. ABSTRACT
This report provides information on projects funded under Federal public transportation law (49 U.S.C. § 5312). FTA Research priorities
are safety, mobility innovation, and infrastructure. Projects in these areas promoted public transportation innovation to improve
operations, infrastructure, and traveler experiences. Projects active in FY 2018 promoted research, innovation and development,
demonstration and deployment, and evaluation.
14. SUBJECT TERMS
Public transportation, Federal public transportation law, public transportation
research, FTA appropriations, FTA research, FTA demonstration and deployment,
FTA innovation, FTA evaluation
15. NUMBER OF PAGES
67
16. PRICE CODE
17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
OF REPORT
Unclassified
18. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
OF THIS PAGE
Unclassified
19. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
OF ABSTRACT
Unclassified
20. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
Executive Summary
Requirements for this Report
6
7
Program and Project Descriptions
7 Safety
18 Mobility Innovation
39 Infrastructure
55 Supporting Programs and Other Initiatives
65
Acronyms and Abbreviations
LIST OF TABLES
2
Table 1:
4
8
10
Table 2:
Table 3:
Table 4:
14
Table 5:
18
Table 6:
21
Table 7:
35
Table 8:
38
40
Table 9:
Table 10:
49
54
55
Table 11:
Table 12:
Table 13:
63
Table 14:
FTA Research Program Priorities and USDOT’s Strategic Goals
and Objectives, FY 2018
Complete List of FTA Research Program and Projects, 2018
Safety Programs Receiving Assistance from FTA, FY 2018
SRER Research Demonstrations Projects Receiving Assistance
from FTA, FY 2018
Safety Research and Demonstration (SRD) Projects that
Received Assistance from FTA, FY 2018
Mobility Innovation Programs Receiving Assistance from
FTA, FY 2018
Mobility on Demand (MOD) Projects Receiving Assistance
from FTA, FY 2018
Transit and Health Access Projects Receiving Assistance from
FTA, FY 2018
MSAA Projects Receiving Assistance from FTA, FY 2018
Infrastructure Programs Receiving Assistance from FTA,
FY 2018
BEERD Projects Receiving Assistance from FTA during FY 2018
LoNo Projects Receiving Assistance from FTA, FY 2018
Supporting Programs and Initiatives Receiving Assistance from
FTA, FY 2018
SBIR Projects Receiving Assistance from FTA, FY 2018
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LIST OF FIGURES
3
11
15
17
22
24
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
1:
2:
3:
4:
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6:
25
Figure 7:
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Figure 8:
Figure 9:
Figure 10:
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Figure 11:
39
Figure 12:
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Figure 20:
FTA Research Projects and Programs by Priority Areas
Example of Impact of SRER on Safety
Impact of SRD on Public Transportation Industry
Safety Standards Strategic Plan
Mobility on Demand (MOD) Demonstration
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) MOD Sandbox
Demonstration Evaluation Plan
New Generation of Mobility Performance Indicators –
For Mobility on Demand & Beyond
MOD Community of Practice Workshop Plenary Breakfast
Strategic Transit Automation Research Plan
(ATTRI) Complete Trip Fundamentals: Smart Wayfinding and
Navigation service (SWaN) Prototype
Delaware County Connections – A Rural Volunteer Based
Transit Service
Reference Manual for Planning and Design of a Travel
Management Coordination Center (TMCC)
Forecasting Capital Cost
Lifecycle-Based Management
2018 Bus Technology Evaluation Report
Statutory Reports Produced Under TERM
Example of Impact of LoNo Program
Nested Research Evaluation Framework, FY 2018
Improving the Resilience of Transit Systems Threatened by
Natural Disasters
Counting Passengers through Body Height Curve
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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Dear Colleague:
I am pleased to provide the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Annual Report on Public
Transportation Innovation Research Projects for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018. This report describes
innovative public transportation research and development in accordance with Federal public
transportation law (49 U.S.C § 5312). FTA’s research programs and portfolio provide public
transit agencies essential information to help them ensure efficiencies today and prepare for
tomorrow.
FTA’s mission is to improve public transportation for America’s communities, and FTA’s vision
is that the United States has a world-class public transportation system with access and mobility
for all. FTA’s research mission is to advance public transportation innovation by leading
research, development, demonstration, deployment, evaluation, and implementation practices
and technologies that enhance effectiveness, increase efficiency, expand quality, promote safety,
and ultimately improve the transit rider’s experience. FTA research programs are in alignment
with the Secretary’s top priorities: safety, mobility innovation, and infrastructure.
This report explains how FTA actively managed $79 million in research funding during FY 2018
including $38 million for safety research; $14 million for infrastructure research; $17 million for
mobility innovation research; and $10 million for supportive services and other activities. This
report also includes information on a $77 million research initiative for the Low or No Emission
Vehicle Deployment (LoNo) Program, funded from FY 2013 – FY 2015 under Federal public
transportation law (49 U.S.C. § 5312) – because this program became a statutory program in FY
2016, we account for the total separately from the other $79 million in research projects.
This report provides descriptions and results to date for FTA-assisted projects active during FY
2018. FTA is proud of these research activities, and looks forward to seeing the results put into
practice to enhance public transit industry services. Thank you for your continued support of
public transportation innovation research.
Sincerely,
K. Jane Williams
Acting Administrator
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
This report provides information on active FY 2018 research projects funded
by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) as authorized in Federal public
transportation law (49 U.S.C. § 5312). FTA’s mission is to improve public
transportation for America’s communities, and FTA’s vision is that the
United States has a world-class public transportation system with access and
mobility for all. FTA’s research mission is to advance public transportation
innovation by leading research, development, demonstration, deployment,
evaluation, and implementation practices and technologies. The practices
and technologies enhance effectiveness, increase efficiency, expand quality,
promote safety, and, ultimately, improve the transit rider’s experience. In
support of this mission and vision, FTA’s research program drives public
transportation innovation by funding projects in a four-phase research-topractice pipeline process, moving from early research of promising ideas to
evaluation and implementation.
Pipeline Phased Approach
In FY 2018, FTA continued to focus on three broad research priority areas:
Safety, Infrastructure, and Mobility Innovation. These research program areas
mirrored and supported the goals of the Department of Transportation
(USDOT) of Safety, Infrastructure, and Innovation. FTA research activities
supported USDOT’s strategic goals in the following ways:
• Safety – Researched new products and ways to improve safety culture,
identify risks, and assess processes that can help transit agencies operate
public systems in a safer manner to reduce injuries and fatalities.
• Infrastructure – Stimulated economic growth and evaluated methods,
transit vehicles, service approaches, maintenance strategies, and practices
that hold promise to improve lifecycle maintenance and systems operations
and performance.
• Mobility Innovation – Led in the development and deployment of new
technologies and practices aimed to enhance transit operational efficiency,
increase mobility and accessibility, and reduce costs. Core objectives in this
research furthered public/private partnerships, research, collaboration, and
coordination.
In addition, all FTA research programs supported USDOT’s fourth strategic goal
of accountability and its two objectives: regulatory reform and mission efficiency.
Mission efficiency was furthered through strategies to improve program
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
performance. FTA also conducted supporting programs and other activities in
FY 2018, including those that evaluate the effectiveness of research programs,
aid in dissemination, and support research to practice. Other activities include
the statutorily-required Transportation Cooperative Research Program (TCRP),
a public transportation industry cooperative research program authorized at $5
million annually. Additionally, 3.2% of discretionary research funds are allocated
each year for the statutorily-required Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR) (§ 9 of the Small Business Act, 15 U.S.C. § 638). Table 1 provides a clear
connection of FTA research activities with USDOT’s strategic goals.
Table 1 FTA Research Program Priorities and USDOT’s Strategic Goals and Objectives, FY 2018
Infrastructure
Innovation
Accountability
TCRP
ü
ü
ü
Advanced Propulsion
Research
ATTRI
Multi-modal Payment
System
Transit Automation
ü
Safety
Projects
Safety Research
Demonstrations
Systemic Safety Approach
Infrastructure
Projects
Safety Standards
Safety
DOT Strategic
Objective
Mobility on Demand
USDOT
Strategic
Goal
Mobility Innovation
Projects
Asset Management and
Asset Innovation
FTA Research Programs
US DOT Strategic Plan Goals and
Objectives Aligned to FTA Research
ü
TCRP
Project Delivery,
Planning, Environment,
Funding and Finance
ü
ü
ü
Life Cycle and Preventive
Maintenance
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
System Operations and
Performance
ü
ü
Economic
Competitiveness and
Workforce
ü
ü
Development of
Innovation
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
Deployment of Innovation
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
Regulatory Reform
ü
ü
ü
ü
Mission Efficiency and
Support
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
Research programs and projects that received FTA assistance in FY 2018 totaled
$78,968,293. FTA also managed the Low or No Emission Vehicle Deployment
(LoNo) Program under this section. The LoNo Program awarded $76,969,249
in FTA funding from FY 2013 – FY 2015 under Federal public transportation law
(49 U.S.C. § 5312). The technology matured and developed, and in FY 2016 this
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
became a statutory program called the Low and No Emission Bus Program (49
U.S.C. § 5339(c)). Now, each year, FTA manages the program through competitively
awarded grants.
Of the total research programs managed by FTA in FY 2018, 24% of projects
($38 million) were associated with safety; 9% ($14 million) were associated with
infrastructure; 11% ($17 million) were associated with mobility innovation; 6%
($10 million) were for supportive services and other activities; and 50% ($77
million) were associated with the LoNo Program. Although the LoNo Program
was funded under this section, the program is primarily managed by FTA regional
offices as a capital program. Figure 1 provides the percentage of funding of FTA
research programs and projects by program areas.
Figure 1
FTA Research Projects and
Programs by Priority Areas
Public transportation law (49 U.S.C. § 5312) authorizes four types of statutorily
eligible projects: research, innovation and development, demonstration and
deployment, and evaluation and implementation. FTA invested the most funding
to test promising approaches to public transportation innovation through
demonstration programs – 50% of active projects fell into this area. The breakout
of funding across the four types of eligible projects in FY 2018 is as follows:
• Research – $19 million (26%) for public transportation research projects
that develop and deploy new and innovative ideas, practices, and approaches;
this includes the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP).
• Innovation and Development – $17 million (21%) for projects were used
to improve public transportation systems nationwide to provide more
efficient and effective delivery of public transportation services, including
through technology and technological capacity improvements; this includes
the Small Business Innovation Program (SBIR).
• Demonstration and Deployment – $40 million (50%) enabled and
promoted early deployment and demonstration of innovation in public
transportation that has broad applicability.
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
• Evaluation and Implementation – $3 million (3%) analyzed project
results and disseminated findings.
FTA managed an extensive portfolio of research programs and projects. Table 2
provides a complete list of all FTA research programs and projects that received
assistance in FY 2018.
Table 2 Complete List of FY 2918 Active FTA Research Program and Projects
Research Priority
Type of Project
Project Title
FTA Funding
Safety
Demonstration & Deployment
Innovative Safety, Resiliency, and All-Hazards Emergency
Response and Recovery Research Demonstrations (SRER)
Safety
Innovation & Development
FTA Employee Safety Reporting Pilot Program
Safety
Demonstration & Deployment Safety Research and Demonstration Program (SRD)
$8,516,669
Safety
Evaluation & Implementation
Safety Research and Demonstration (SRD) Program
Evaluation
$750,000
Safety
Research
Safety Standards Research
$1,500,000
Mobility Innovation
Innovation & Development
Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox
$7,931,080
Mobility Innovation
Evaluation & Implementation
MOD Sandbox Evaluation
$250,000
Mobility Innovation
Research
Mobility on Demand (MOD) Metrics and Studies
$750,000
Mobility Innovation
Innovation & Development
Mobility on Demand (MOD) Information and Knowledge
Accelerator (IKA)
$600,000
Mobility Innovation
Research
Transit Automation Analysis and Research Plan
Development
$1,450,000
Mobility Innovation
Research
Accessible Transportation Technologies Research
Initiative (ATTRI)
$2,500,000
Mobility Innovation
Research
Transit and Health Access Initiative
$2,865,233
Mobility Innovation
Innovation & Development
Mobility Services for All Americans (MSAA)
Infrastructure
Research
Low or No (LoNo) Emission Component Assessment Program
Infrastructure
Demonstration & Deployment Track Asset Management Demonstration
Infrastructure
Research
Effects of Capital Cost Forecasting Study and Research
$200,000
Infrastructure
Research
Best Practices and Research for Lifecycle-Based
Management
$200,000
Infrastructure
Research
Bus Propulsion Evaluation and Support
Infrastructure
Bus Efficiency Enhancements Research and
Demonstration & Deployment
Demonstrations (BEERD) Program
$3,000,000
Infrastructure
Innovation & Development
$2,000,000
Infrastructure
Low or No Emission Vehicle Deployment Program (LoNo)
Demonstration & Deployment
Program*
Transit Economic Requirements Model
$24,000,000
$3,000,000
$795,545
$3,000,000
$4,225,000
$1,400,000
<$76,969,249>
Supporting Programs Evaluation & Implementation
Information Dissemination and Evaluation Program
$1,439,692
Supporting Programs Evaluation & Implementation
Workforce Development Program Evaluation and
Dissemination
$250,000
Supporting Programs Research
Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
$5,000,000
Supporting Programs Innovative Development
Small Business Innovation (SBIR)
$2,854,766
Total FTA Funding
$78,477,985*
* The LoNo Program matured from a research program to a capital discretionary program authorized by Federal public transportation law (49 U.S.C. § 5339(c)). The
amount of $76,969,249 is in brackets to indicate that we are breaking out this program separately from the total of actively managed research projects.
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
FTA’s adherence to this four-phased research pipeline process helped to optimize
the success of FTA’s research program. FTA prioritized research spending on
demonstration and deployment activities, enabling FTA to test promising research
findings in public transportation environments across the U.S.
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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Requirement for This Report
Federal public transportation law (49 U.S.C. § 5312(f)) requires FTA to post an
annual report on research available to the public on its website not later than the
first Monday in February of each year. This report should include:
• A description of each project that received assistance under this section
during the preceding fiscal year.
• An evaluation of each project that received assistance in the preceding
year, including any evaluation conducted for demonstration and deployment
projects.
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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Program and Project Descriptions
In this section of the report are detailed descriptions of programs and projects
that received assistance in FY 2018. This assistance included the award of a new
project, management of an existing project, or significant planning activities in
support of an upcoming approved project. Information is categorized by priority
area—Safety, Infrastructure, and Mobility Innovation—and concludes with a
section on supporting programs and other initiatives. Each priority section notes
the overall objective for that priority and provides a detailed description with
objectives and a list of projects. Individual project descriptions include project
title, grantee(s), performance indicators (results), evaluation, and FTA funding.
Safety
Description:
USDOT’s Safety goal seeks to reduce transportation-related fatalities and serious
injuries across the transportation system, and FTA’s research addressed this goal
in public transit systems. The mission of FTA’s Safety research program is to
provide leadership and vision in the development and management of initiatives
that improve the safety of passengers, employees, emergency responders, and all
others who encounter the public transportation system. FTA supported research
on new safety technologies that can reduce fatalities and injuries.
Objectives:
FTA Safety research sought to:
• Operate systems in a safer manner through improved:
–– Application of advanced technologies and innovative practices
–– Safety cultures
–– Human factors
• Reduce injuries and fatalities by using:
–– Innovative technologies to improve worker safety
–– Innovative technologies to improve rider safety.
FTA had four active Safety projects in FY 2018, as listed in Table 3.
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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Table 3
Safety Programs Receiving
Assistance from FTA,
FY 2018
Safety Programs
Type of Project
Project Title
FTA Funding
Demonstration &
Deployment
Innovative Safety, Resiliency, and All-Hazards Emergency
Response and Recovery Research Demonstrations (SRER)
Innovation &
Development
FTA Employee Safety Reporting Pilot Program
$3,000,000
Demonstration &
Deployment
Safety Research and Demonstration Program (SRD)
$8,516,669
Demonstration &
Deployment
Safety Research and Demonstration (SRD) Program
Evaluation
$750,000
Research
Safety Standards Strategic Plan Development and Data
Collection Strategy
Total
$24,000,000
$1,500,000
$37,766,670
Title: Innovative Safety, Resiliency, and All-Hazards Emergency Response
and Recovery (SRER) Program
Grantee: Local governments, transit authorities, educational institutions, and
private firms
Project Description:
The SRER Program pursues innovative approaches to eliminate or mitigate safety
hazards, improve infrastructure resiliency, and improve all-hazards emergency
response and recovery. FTA is funding 12 projects under SRER in 9 states to
explore solutions and improvements with three program goals. The goals are: 1)
operational safety, 2) infrastructure or equipment resiliency, and 3) all-hazards
emergency response and recovery methods. Under operational safety, SRER is
developing and testing new or substantially-improved technologies, methods,
practices, and techniques to reduce the risk of transit-related injuries and
fatalities. Resiliency projects are seeking to identify the most promising methods
and/or technologies to deploy in a public transit systems that are hardened against
natural disasters and/or catastrophic events. Under all-hazards emergency
response and recovery, SRER is investigating technologies, methods, practices,
and techniques to improve communication with emergency responders in the
event of emergencies, disruptions, and catastrophic failures.
Results:
All the SRER projects shown in Table 3 were active in FY 2018. Examples of
outputs of SRER projects with significant results in FY 2018 include:
• Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA): completed
fabrication, installation, and configuration of the secondary track worker
safety system along six miles of MARTA’s rail system. Reached out to
industry to present project progress, held site visits at six industry events,
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
8
including 2017 APTA Expo, 2017 APTA Safety Conference, 2018 TRB Annual
Conference, and others. Currently commissioning the system by testing all
hardware and software deployed. These efforts are making MARTA track
inspectors and workers safer by lowering possibilities of injuries and fatalities
for employees during maintenance work on rail tracks. The project met the
SRER goal of operational safety by exploring technologies to prevent transit
vehicle collisions with track maintenance workers and evaluating the costeffectiveness and practicality of the system.
• New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NYMTA): completed
vehicle and track instrumentation, testing, data collection and analysis early in
2018. Conducted multiple outreach efforts to showcase the innovative
solutions for improving the effectiveness of rail track maintenance. Included a
webinar in April 2018 and published a magazine article in Trains magazine in
October 2017. The project benefits NYMTA by optimizing its track and vehicle
inspection and maintenance process toward the goal of identifying a better and
more effective way of maintaining rail track infrastructure.
• New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Evacuation and Return Pilot:
successfully conducted a full-scale New Orleans City Assisted Evacuation
tabletop exercise that coordinated with local emergency management, U.S.
National Guard, American Red Cross, local transit agencies, and several
emergency management services partners. Completed an After-Action Report/
Improvement Plan that identified several areas of improvements needed;
lessons learned will be provided in the final report. Provided financial and
technical support to enable New Orleans Regional Transit Authority to
conduct a tabletop exercise with appropriate local emergency management
agencies to coordinate and enhance its existing all-hazard emergency
management and recovery plan. This effort met the SRER goal of preparing allhazards emergency responses and recovery methods. A final report is
expected to be submitted in the winter 2018.
• Smart, Shared and Social: Enhancing All-Hazards Recovery Plans with Demand
Management Technologies Demonstration: developed and tested an
emergency recovery plan for Portland, Oregon with local transit agencies and
emergency management transportation groups of five counties from Oregon
and Washington. Successfully completed six workshops in other regions of the
U.S. using lessons learned from emergency recovery plan development in
conjunction with the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations
(AMPO) in Savannah, GA; El Paso, TX; Tampa, FL; Broward, FL; Lake Charles,
LA; and Rochester, NH. A total of 198 individuals in the areas of
transportation, safety, and/or emergency management roles took part in the
trainings. The project provided financial and technical support to develop an
emergency recovery plan for the Portland region, and training materials were
developed and six workshops provided throughout the U.S. Efforts in FY 2018
met the SRER goal of operational safety. The final report is expected in Winter
2018.
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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• Connected Vehicle (CV) Infrastructure - Urban Bus Operational Safety
Platform: completed installation of 24 Greater Cleveland Regional Transit
Authority buses and three intersections with connected vehicle (CV)
technology to provide bus drivers with alerts to avoid likely collisions
with pedestrians. Revenue service demonstration began in February 2018
with buses operating on 6 routes, consisting of 16 80-ft articulated buses
and 8 30-ft trolley buses. The research benefits the transit agency and
traveling public by allowing buses to avoid collisions with other vehicles and
pedestrians crossing the streets. The project met the goal of mitigating safety
hazards identified by the transit agency.
Throughout the duration of the program, each project sponsor was required
to conduct outreach and transfer knowledge via workshops, conference
presentations, webinars, etc. Final reports are expected from each project after
their completion. All final reports should be submitted to FTA in Fall 2018 and
Fall 2019. In addition, final evaluation reports will be provided to FTA describing
the effectiveness of the proposed technology, method, and/or practice. The
quantitative and qualitative results of these projects will enable transit agencies
to incorporate lessons learned from the demonstration projects into their own
efforts to improve safety, resiliency to natural disasters, and emergency response.
Project/Program Evaluation:
All project sponsors are required to have an independent evaluator for their
project, and each project has its own set of performance metrics within the
area of safety improvements, operational and capital efficiency, and return on
investment. Evaluations are ongoing and are expected to be completed at the end
of each project.
FTA Funding: $24,000,000
Table 4 SRER Research Demonstrations Projects Receiving Assistance from FTA, FY 2018
Project Title
Project Recipient
City and State
FTA Award
Demonstration and Commercialization of LRV Bumper for
Enhanced Safety in Shared Right-of-Way Street Environments
Applied Research
Associates
Albuquerque, NM
$1,323,414
TrackSafe Phase II Demonstration Project
MARTA
Atlanta, GA
$4,233,865
Development of Bus Exportable Power System for Emergency
Response
Center for Transportation
and the Environment
Atlanta, GA
$995,098
Coordinated Transit Response Planning and Operations Support
Tools for Mitigating Impacts of All-Hazards Emergency Events
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Evacuation and Return: Increasing Safety and Reducing Risk
City of New Orleans
New Orleans, LA
Driver Assist System Technology to support Robust, Flexible
Bus-on-Shoulder and Narrow-Lane Operations for Robust
Transit Service
Minnesota Valley Transit
Authority
Burnsville, MN
New Jersey Transit Critical Infrastructure Storm Surge Warning
System
New Jersey Transit
Corporation
Newark, NJ
$2,890,600
$500,329
$1,790,014
$843,750
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Project Title
Project Recipient
Connected Vehicle Infrastructure- Urban Bus Operational Safety
Platform
City and State
Battelle Memorial Institute
Columbus, OH
Smart, Shared, and Social: Enhancing All-Hazards Recovery Plans
with Demand Management Technologies
Portland State University
Portland, OR
Innovative Platform Track Intrusion Detection System
Technology: A Demonstration on Los Angeles Metro Rail System
Los Angeles County
Metropolitan
Transportation Authority
Los Angeles, CA
$1,722,400
Resilient Concrete Crosstie and Fastening System Designs for
Light Rail, Heavy Rail, and Commuter Rail Transit Infrastructure
University of Illinois
Urbana, IL
$2,396,981
Integrated Wheel/Rail Characterization and Safety through
Advanced Monitoring and Analytics
New York Metropolitan
Transportation Authority
New York, NY
$3,617,948
Total
FTA Award
$2,741,617
$943,984
$24,000,000
Figure 2 Example of Impact of SRER on Safety
Connected Vehicle Infrastructure for Urban Bus Operational Safety – FTA
worked with Battelle and developed an enhanced version of the Transit
Safety Retrofit Package (TRP) system that was originally part of the
USDOT Safety Pilot Model Deployment. The enhanced TRP (E-TRP) is
based on experience gained and lessons learned from the earlier system,
with the current focus on reducing pedestrian and vehicle conflicts with
transit buses in the greater Cleveland metro area. The E-TRP features
enhanced versions of the Pedestrian Crossing Warning (PCW) and
Vehicle Turning Right in Front of Bus Warning (VTRW) applications.
Key technologies deployed include Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) for vehicle-to-vehicle
and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, GPS for vehicle tracking, and state-of-the-art cameras for
enhanced pedestrian detection. The E-TRP was installed on 24 transit buses for field testing at 3 locations
– 1 signalized intersection, 1 non-signalized intersection, and 1 mid-block crossing. The buses operated in
revenue service for six months to collect data for evaluation of the performance of the system and safety
applications, safety impacts, and lessons learned. The demonstration and the evaluation are expected to be
completed in August 2018; results and lessons learned will be presented at industry conferences.
Title: FTA Employee Safety Reporting Pilot Program
Grantee: The Volpe Center
Project Description:
This program develops guidance for the transit industry to comply with
a regulation requiring the use of employee reporting systems as a part of
developing safety management systems plans. The guidance will provide transit
organizations with a roadmap for developing and implementing an employee
reporting system. The program also will conduct a demonstration of reporting
systems at transit organization to learn about the particular needs and challenges
to implementing employee safety reporting systems. The lessons learned from
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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the demonstrations will be added to the guidance document made available to
the transit industry.
Results:
In March 2018, the Volpe Center produced an internal white paper titled “How
Third Parties Can Improve Employee Safety Reporting.” This document assisted
the Stakeholder Review Panel to focus on its review of voluntary standards and
partner with industry and APTA to support the development and implementation
of sound, solid, employee reporting system practices as part of the Safety
Management System (SMS) program.
Once completed, this program will submit to FTA a guidance document for
agencies to implement an Employee Safety Reporting system, and an evaluation of
the program effectiveness of each pilot site. Delivery of the guidance document is
expected in early 2019. To date, this project is collecting relevant information that
assists FTA improve the safety culture at transit agencies, supporting stakeholder
coordination, and conducting outreach. The impact of the program is that it
will support the development of transit safety standards, protocols, and best
practices.
FTA Funding: $3,000,000
Title: Safety Research and Demonstration (SRD) Program
Grantee: Transit authorities partnering with local governments, educational
institutions, and/or private entities
Project Description:
The SRD Program provides technical and financial support for transit agencies
to pursue innovative approaches to eliminate or mitigate safety hazards. Projects
pursue cutting-edge technologies and innovative approaches to safety, focusing on
demonstration of technologies and safer designs. Program goals are to: 1) explore
advanced technologies to prevent transit vehicle collisions, 2) enhance the safety
of transit services by incorporating safer design elements, and 3) and evaluate
the cost-effectiveness and practicability of potential solutions. The SRD Program
targets collision avoidance and mitigation, and transit worker safety protection.
Funding for the program is intended to assess the practicality and effectiveness of
potential solutions to improve safety and influence transit industry guidance and
standards. The results of the program will be widely applicable nationwide and
will support FTA’s efforts to promote safe public transportation systems. Several
projects concluded in FY 2018.
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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Results:
The seven demonstration projects shown in Table 5 were active in FY 2018. The
projects yielded data on the effectiveness of various technological approaches to
enhancing safety in collision warning and avoidance and transit employee safety
protection. Significant outputs for SRD in FY 2018 included:
• Maryland Transit Administration Fixed-Mounted Train Detection and Worker
Warning System Demonstration: completed installation of secondary worker
warning units to the entire Maryland Transit Administration
yellow line; completed radio-mesh network for the system. Currently adjusting
calibration of sensors and validating communication network for
demonstration phase, which will document safety improvements to track
workers, evaluate system effectiveness, and document return on investment.
Efforts under these projects are beneficial to the industry by making the work
environment for workers safer. This project meets the SRD goal
of exploring technologies to prevent transit vehicle collisions with track
maintenance workers and evaluating the cost-effectiveness and practicability of
the systems.
• Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Agency (WMATA) Track Inspector
Location Awareness System: successfully completed procurement of the
secondary wayside system and is installing 182 ranging wayside units at 12
locations throughout the rail system identified as representing high risk for
roadway workers. WMATA is developing a test/demonstration schedule to
evaluate the system. This project is making WMATA safer in high risk areas,
thus lowering the possibilities of injuries and fatalities for employees. This
project meets the SRD goal of exploring technologies to prevent transit
vehicle collisions with track maintenance workers, evaluating the costeffectiveness, and practicability of the systems.
• New York City Transit (NYCT) Bus Mirror Configuration Project: successfully
established an industry advisory panel and completed three focus groups
sessions in the Bronx and Manhattan. Via an expert advisory panel and focus
groups, established preliminary visibility requirements for transit bus
operators, completed benchmarking of representative samples of NYCT bus
fleet. The safer mirror design improves visibility for bus operators and
decreases the possibility of collision with pedestrians due to blind spots. This
project meets the SRD goal of enhancing the safety of transit bus services by
incorporating safer design elements and evaluating the cost-effectiveness and
practicability of the design.
• Sacramento Regional Transit Enhanced Secondary Warning System for Track
Worker Protection Pilot: successfully completed procurement of all secondary
wayside systems, currently installing the units on entire fleet of Light Rail
Vehicles. Currently developing test/demonstration schedule and validating
units as installation progresses. Efforts under this project are making
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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the system safer in identified high-risk areas, lowering the possibilities of
injuries and fatalities for employees during track inspection and maintenance.
The project supports the SRD goal to explore technologies to prevent transit
vehicle collisions with track maintenance workers and evaluate the costeffectiveness and practicability of the system.
Final reports are expected to be submitted to FTA in FY 2019. They will detail
specific outputs and evaluation of each demonstration project.
Project/Program Evaluation:
The Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of
South Florida (USF) is serving as the independent evaluator and is working
with FTA project managers and grantees to evaluate each project on safety
improvements, system effectiveness, and return on investment. Performance
metrics were determined for each project, and data collection plans for all the
projects under the program are completed. The SRD Program evaluation is
described in detail under the SRD Program Evaluation.
FTA Funding: $8,516,669
Table 5 Safety Research and Demonstration (SRD) Projects that Received Assistance from FTA, FY 2018
Project Title
Project Recipient
Pierce Transit Collision Avoidance and Mitigation Safety Demonstration Pierce Transit
City and State
FTA Award
Lakewood, WA
$1,664,894
New York City
$880,035
Transit Bus Mirror Configuration Research and Development
NY Metropolitan Transit
Authority
CTA Operations Control Center Safety Enhancements Project
Chicago Transit Authority Chicago, IL
Enhanced Secondary Warning System for Track Worker Protection
Pilot
Sacramento Regional
Transit District
Sacramento, CA
$870,000
Fixed-Mounted Train Detection and Worker Warning System
Demonstration
Maryland Department of
Transportation
Baltimore, MD
$688,448
Collision Avoidance and Mitigation Technologies on LA Metro Bus
Pilot
LA County Metropolitan
Transportation Authority
Los Angeles, CA
$1,450,000
Track Inspector Location Awareness with Enhanced Transit Worker Washington Metropolitan
Protection Pilot
Area Transit Authority
Washington, DC
$1,884,992
Total
$24,000,000
$1,078,300
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Figure 3 Impact of SRD on Public Transportation Industry
Per the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, a census of fatal motor
vehicle crashes in the U.S. from 2010–2014 indicated approximately 35
fatal pedestrian crashes and 96 serious crashes with transit buses each
year. Approximately 48% of pedestrian fatalities and 40% of serious
pedestrian crashes occurred when the bus was traveling straight, and,
of 7 annual bicyclist fatalities, 67% occurred when the bus was traveling
straight. FTA is partnering with NYCT to make design changes to the
layout of the operator compartment—in particular, the placement and
size of the operator mirrors—to prevent and minimize obscuration
and provide drivers with an optimal view of pedestrians, bicyclists, and customers. Current regulations
related to bus mirror configurations on transit buses are minimal compared to those for other vehicles.
FTA is working with multiple partners within the transit industry to create a set of guidelines to ensure
that transit bus operators have optimal views and can easily spot potential hazards around the vehicle. It is
critical to improve the visibility in the zone obstructed by the street-side A-pillar and mirror. The design and
demonstration of an optimized mirror solution set for street-side mirrors on low-floor transit buses could
reduce the number of serious crashes and enhance the effectiveness of transit vehicle visibility systems.
Title: Safety Research and Demonstration (SRD) Program Evaluation
Grantee: The Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR)
Project Description:
This project supports FTA’s Safety Research and Demonstration (SRD) Program
and the project is necessary to meet the statutory requirement of research
demonstration evaluation under Federal public transportation law (49 U.S.C. §
5312 (e)(4)). The goals of this project are to: 1) evaluate the SRD demonstration
projects; 2) assess the contribution of each project towards advancing FTA’s SRD
programmatic goals of improved collision avoidance and increased workers safety;
and 3) estimate the broader national-level impact of SRD projects. Each project
level evaluation has a set of performance measures established by SRD award
recipients in coordination with the SRD evaluation team.
Results
The SRD Program Evaluation was active in FY 2018. The evaluator produced the
following relevant outputs:
• Performance metrics and data collection: the SRD Program Evaluation
team worked with the SRD grantees and the project managers to establish
a set of individual performance metrics for all three evaluation areas. The
three evaluation areas are safety improvements, system effectiveness, and
return on investment. The SRD Program Evaluation team completed 7 data
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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collection plans. The team is currently working with SRD grantees to manage
and monitor the progress of the data collection effort by each grantee and
project. The goal is to provide a data driven approach to these projects and
ultimately inform the industry about the viability of these technologies to
improve safety. The data collection plans developed evaluate the effectiveness
of the projects and determine if the SRD projects are meeting the program
goals.
Once completed, the evaluation will provide valuable information regarding
the effectiveness of the technologies demonstrated in the research program,
regarding collision avoidance and transit worker safety; and the return on
investment value of the various solutions. The quantitative and qualitative data
generated under this project will allow each agency to make decisions regarding
which technology and system they should pursue to prevent collisions, and
improve worker safety.
FTA Funding: $750,000
Title: Safety Standards Research
Grantee: The Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR)
Project Description:
The purpose of this project is to research the area of safety standards. The
project goals are to: 1) review current transit safety standards, 2) conduct
data analysis, and 3) develop a strategic plan that notes possible gaps in safety
standards. The research conducted for this project aims to provide background
information and strategic direction for FTA to identify and assess current
safety performance standards. This research provides information in support of
standards development activities undertaken through projects authorized under
other parts of Federal public transportation law – such as the standards elements
of the FTA’s technical assistance and workforce development program (49 U.S.C.
§ 5314).
Results:
FTA used the results of this research to identify key safety focus areas for new
transit standards, guidance, or advisories for the transit industry. Results in FY
2018 were as follows:
• Strategic plan: a final internal Safety Standards Strategic Plan was developed
that provided research to FTA about existing transit safety areas and gaps.
The plan also proposed areas for further research and data collection for
new standards for use by the transit industry. The information included in this
report identified high-risk areas in transit safety, corresponding gap research
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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analyses, and recommendations to FTA for further research to close the
identified gaps. The strategic plan met the goals to review of current transit
safety standards for this project and conduct data analysis.
• Comprehensive list of current safety standards: for the public transportation
industry on transit safety standards and protocols, published in the Federal
Register (81 FR 30605) in May 2016 and accessible on FTA’s website at https://
www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-and-guidance/safety/compendium-transitsafety-standards. This document provides value to the industry and FTA by
listing a comprehensive reference about the existence and lack of standards in
each transit safety area and met the goals of review of current transit safety
standards for this project and conduct data analysis.
• Final report: a report titled “Review and Evaluation of Public Transportation
Safety Standards” was published on FTA’s website in January 2017 and is
accessible at https://www.transit.dot.gov/research-innovation/review-andevaluation-public-transportation-safety-standards-fta-report-no-0103. The
document provides research, data, analyses, and information about public
transportation safety standards and protocols and their effectiveness in
making public transit safer and met the goals of reviewing current transit
safety standards and conducting data analysis.
Documents produced under this project provided FTA with a thorough
assessment of the efficacy of current safety standards; gaps in safety standards;
and areas for future research in safety standards. The outputs of this project also
highlighted the need for new minimum safety standards to ensure public transit is
safe, and provided information to inform standards development activities funded
from other FTA programs.
FTA Funding: $1,500,000
Figure 4 Safety Standards Strategic Plan
FTA finalized the “Safety Standards Strategic Plan” in May 2018. This internal report
is based on data analysis, review and compilation of safety standards, and moderated
planning sessions with industry stakeholders and the independent working group. It
provides detailed information to FTA about safety standards and protocols, National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation reports and safety, advisories and
directives issued by FTA transit safety related research, and white papers produced
by FTA’s Transit Advisory Committee for Safety (TRACS). It also identifies trends and
subject areas of greatest safety risk and provides the basis for recommending research
areas for new standards/protocols consideration.
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Mobility Innovation
Description:
In alignment with USDOT’s strategic goal of Innovation, FTA’s Mobility
Innovation research seeks to strengthen the capacity of transit agencies and
communities to navigate the dynamic, evolving landscape of personal mobility.
Demonstrations under the Mobility Innovation area explore innovative business
models, partnerships, and private-sector solutions that seamlessly expand
mobility options for all travelers. These new models are also expected to
help reduce costs for public transit agency operations. Demonstrations are
designed to complement emerging private-sector technology advancements
and investments in autonomous vehicles and mobility, potentially leading to
job creation in new businesses and technologies. The definition of mobility is
dramatically evolving with the rise of transformative multi-modal concepts,
public/private partnerships, traveler expectations, and emerging technical/
technological capabilities.
Objectives:
The primary objectives of FTA’s Mobility Research are to:
1. Improve transit operations and reduce costs by leveraging public and private
assets and technologies.
2. Improve personal mobility by identifying and promoting seamless
transportation models that engages all modes—public and private—for
enhanced mobility for all travelers.
FTA had five active Mobility Innovation programs in FY 2018, as shown in Table 6.
Table 6 Mobility Innovation Programs Receiving Assistance from FTA, FY 2018
Mobility Innovation Programs
Type of Project
Project Title
FTA Funding
Innovation & Development
Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox
$7,931,080
Innovation & Development
MOD Sandbox Evaluation
$250,000
Innovation & Development
Mobility on Demand (MOD) Metrics and Studies
$750,000
Innovation & Development
Mobility on Demand (MOD) Information and Knowledge Accelerator (IKA)
Research
Transit Automation Analysis and Research Plans Development
$1,450,000
Research
Accessible Transportation Technologies Research Initiative (ATTRI)
$2,500,000
Research
Transit and Health Access Initiative
$2,865,233
Innovation & Development
Mobility Services for All Americans (MSAA)
$600,000
$795,545
Total
$17,141,858
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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Title: Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox
Grantee: Transit agencies, local governments, non-profit organizations, and
private firms
Project Description:
FTA’s Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox is a demonstration effort to explore
approaches to integrating promising new mobility concepts, technologies, and
solutions, with transit to greatly enhance the personal mobility of individuals.
New and innovative shared-use mobility concepts and solutions, from bike- and
car-sharing systems to ridesharing services summoned though a smart phone
app are providing travelers with new options to plan, pay and take trips. By
weaving together public transit with these new mobility options, the efficiency
and effectiveness of existing transit options can flourish while expanding mobility
options available to travelers. The MOD Sandbox investigates, through realworld demonstration efforts, how these new mobility solutions can be effectively
integrated with existing transit systems to achieve the vision of MOD for an
integrated network of safe and reliable transportation options available to all.
The MOD Sandbox is part of FTA’s broader MOD research, demonstration, and
deployment efforts; its goals are to 1) explore emerging technology solutions and
new business approaches that have the potential to transform mobility services,
2) prepare the transportation industry to deliver these innovative mobility
solutions, and 3) enable the widespread deployment of integrated mobility
solutions. MOD research projects are also aligned with USDOT’s strategic
goal to lead in the development and deployment of innovative practices and
technologies that improve the performance of the nation’s transportation system.
The MOD Sandbox consists of 11 pilot projects selected in late 2016 to
demonstrate different approaches and technologies. Transit organizations lead
project efforts in partnership with mobility providers, research organizations, or
state and local governments. All project teams are now working to launch the
demonstration efforts, several of which are already operational.
Results:
All MOD Sandbox projects were active in FY 2018, and work is in progress. The
outputs of the current Sandbox projects, shown in Table 7, are already helping
inform FTA and the industry on MOD-related policies, and what technologies and
business models work best and resonate with every community. The Sandbox is
also linked to MOD program efforts to conduct independent evaluations of the
pilots and establish a community of practice around MOD to support industry
dialogue. The following are relevant and significant results of the MOD Sandbox
projects:
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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• Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans): introduced the GoVermont
Flexible Trip Planner Project in February 2018. The trip planner, accessible to
the public at https://plan.govermont.org/, is the first trip planner capable of
presenting all public transit services in Vermont, connecting users in
multimodal journeys that offer viable transit solutions, even in rural regions
without fixed-route networks. These new features include routing for Dial-aRide, Hail and Ride, and Deviated Fixed services, all especially common
in the rural areas that other trip planner technologies have failed to serve
effectively.
• San Francisco Bay Transit Authority (BART): demonstrated an integrated
carpool to transit pilot program that matches carpool users traveling to BART
stations and provides a way to reserve and pay for sought-after parking at the
stations, improving access to transit stations. Information on this MOD project
is accessible at https://511.org/carpool-vanpool/carpool/bart. The project has
enabled enhancements to the Scoop app platform that improve the experience
for BART commuters and has successfully expanded the demonstration to 17
stations. The project is exploring the feasibility and effectiveness of this
innovative first/last mile solution to connect riders to transit at multiple
locations within one system and is providing insights into how to implement
successful MOD solutions more broadly.
• Valley Metro Rail of Phoenix: implemented a smart phone mobility platform
called Pass2Go that integrates mobile ticketing and multimodal trip planning.
The network included a range of mobility providers, including ride-hailing,
allowing people at all levels of income, age, and disability to have access
to an integrated, connected multimodal transportation system. Phase 1, which
includes a basic trip planner and full-day fare mobile ticketing with visual
validation, was launched in March 2018. The project will explore an approach
to MOD solutions that integrates, through a transit agency’s app, mobile
ticketing, multi-modal trip planning and links to other app-based transportation
options to make travel within Phoenix more seamless.
• Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART): phased-in an upgraded GoPass regional
mobile app that integrates microtransit, dynamic carpooling, and hailing
services. It solved first/last mile issues, particularly in non-walkable areas not
well served by transit. Phase 1, which integrated microtransit (GoLink) and
dynamic carpooling (GoPool), was launched in May 2018. The project
is exploring innovative approaches to linking multiple mobility options in an
account-based system that enable travelers to choose. Travel modes that best
serve their needs based on price, travel time and wait time.
To date, the MOD Program achieved the following measurable outcomes:
• Expanded options for communities and transit agencies to provide MODbased transportation solutions.
• Enhanced transit capacity and readiness to adopt MOD solutions.
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• Identified innovative business models that support high-quality, seamless and
equitable mobility.
• FTA adoption of flexible, responsive policies on shared mobility support for
transit agencies, communities, and individual travelers.
• Supported traveler-centric, carefree, and effective transportation that is
reflective of MOD guiding principles of system integration, partnershipdriven, innovative and equitable.
• Supported the emerging U.S. mobility industry.
• Enabled a more efficient robust and responsive transportation system.
Project/Program Evaluation:
MOD Sandbox demonstration projects require an evaluation, and FTA is
working with a contractor to complete evaluations of each projects to provide
a comprehensive assessment of the efforts at the conclusion of the pilot
demonstrations. These evaluations will inform how MOD solutions integrate with
transit service and provide lessons learned for other transit agencies seeking to
use MOD solutions to improve mobility in their communities.
FTA Funding: $7,931,080
Table 7 Mobility on Demand (MOD) Projects Receiving Assistance from FTA, FY 2018
Project Title
Project Recipient
City and State
FTA Award
MOD Sandbox: Adaptive Mobility with Reliability and Efficiency
Regional Transportation
Tucson, AZ
Authority of Pima County
MOD Sandbox: Mobility Platform
Valley Metro Rail, Inc.
Phoenix, AZ
$1,001,000
MOD Sandbox: Bay Area Fair Value Commuting Demonstration
City of Palo Alto
Palo Alto, CA
$1,085,000
MOD Sandbox: Los Angeles County and Puget Sound MOD
Partnership
Los Angeles County
Metropolitan
Transportation Authority
Los Angeles, CA
$1,350,000
MOD Sandbox: Integrated Carpool to Transit
San Francisco Bay Area
Rapid Transit
San Francisco,
CA
$358,000
MOD Sandbox: Paratransit Mobility on Demand Demonstration
Pinellas Suncoast Transit
Authority
St. Petersburg,
FL
$500,000
MOD Sandbox: Integrated Fare Systems – From Transit Fare to
Bike Share
Chicago Transit Authority Chicago, IL
$400,000
MOD Sandbox: Open Trip Planner Share Use Mobility
Tri-County Metropolitan
Transportation District
Portland, OR
$678,000
MOD Sandbox: First and Last Mile Solution
Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Dallas, TX
MOD Sandbox: Flexible Trip Planner Project
Vermont Agency of
Transportation
Montpelier, VT
$480,000
MOD Sandbox: Limited Access Connections
Pierce County Public
Transportation Benefit
Area Corp.
Lakewood, WA
$205,922
$669,158
$1,204,000
Total
$7,931,080
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Figure 5 Mobility on Demand (MOD) Demonstration
The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) began the
demonstration phase of the GoVermont Flexible Trip Planner in
February 2018 (https://plan.govermont.org/). This MOD Sandbox project shows creative connections between fixed routes
and the flexible services that connect users to every household
in Vermont. The new features include routing for Dial-a-Ride,
Hail and Ride, and Deviated Fixed route services, all especially
common in the rural areas that other trip planner technologies
have failed to effectively serve. This project promotes flexible
transit options in rural Vermont, connects people to jobs and
services, promotes economic development and access to health care, and more. The GoVermont Flexible
Trip Planner is also an example of a solution other agencies and regions across the U.S. can implement.
Title: MOD Sandbox Evaluation
Grantee: Booz Allen Hamilton
Project Description:
This project supports FTA’s MOD Program and is conducting a comprehensive
independent evaluation of the MOD Sandbox Demonstrations as required by
Public transportation law (49 U.S.C. § 5312(e)(4)). The goals of the evaluation
are to: 1) identify and analyze the project impacts from performance measures
identified by the independent evaluator and MOD Sandbox Demonstration
sites; and 2) assess the business models used, and how existing FTA policies and
regulations may support or impede these new service transportation models.
Analysis areas for the 11 sites collectively include system usage (ridership),
traveler behavior, user satisfaction, operational impacts (e.g., wait and travel
times, service coverage, accessibility, vehicle occupancy), financial impacts to
travelers and transportation providers, and environmental impacts.
Results:
FTA worked with Booz Allen Hamilton and the 11 MOD Sandbox grantees to
conduct the required evaluation of each demonstration project. In FY 2018, the
following outputs were completed:
• Evaluation Framework Report: included a description of each project and
identified the key stakeholders committed to the success of the project. It
also provided critical linkage between the purpose of the project, overall
MOD program goals, and assessed the overall potential to measure the
institutional, business, customer service, costs and operational impacts of the
demonstration. This report meets the goal of identifying and analyzing the
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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project impacts from performance measures identified by the independent
evaluator.
• Logic Models: completed for the 11 MOD Sandbox demonstration sites. The
logic models meet both goals of this effort. Each project-specific logic model
contained the following elements that stipulated the key sequencing of the
evaluation tasks:
– MOD Sandbox Project – denoted the specific MOD Sandbox project.
– Project Goals – denoted each of the project goals for the specific MOD
Sandbox project that capture what each MOD Sandbox project is trying to
achieve.
– Evaluation Hypothesis – denoted each of the evaluation hypotheses for the
specific MOD Sandbox project, which flow from the project-specific goals.
– Performance Metric – denoted the performance metrics used to measure
impact in line with the evaluation hypotheses for the specific MOD Sandbox
project.
– Data Sources – denoted each of the data sources used for the identified
performance metrics.
– Method of Evaluation – denoted the quantitative and qualitative evaluation
methods used.
• Evaluation plans: developed for the 11 sites to serve as key reference
documents for the evaluation of the demonstration projects from start to
finish. Each plan documents an evaluation schedule, major milestones, and the
planned evaluation activities for each MOD demonstration project. The plans
also show how the independent evaluation team will coordinate with the
MOD Sandbox project partners. This ensures that the required data are
identified and plans are made for its collection and transmission during the
demonstrations. The evaluation plans meet both goals under this project.
This effort with continue with data collection analysis, development of evaluation
reports for the 11 sites, a synthesis report, and knowledge transfer activities
and materials. Results from the evaluation will advance public transportation in
the U.S. by identifying impacts (e.g., benefits) of MOD alternative transportation
services and applying lessons learned for other transportation providers
interested in adopting these MOD services. The evaluation results will also
identify possible changes in current policies and regulations.
FTA Funding: $250,000
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Figure 6 Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) MOD Sandbox Demonstration Evaluation Plan
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is demonstrating a phased, upgraded GoPass regional
mobile app that integrates microtransit, dynamic carpooling, and ride-hailing services
with DART’s fixed-route service to solve first/last mile issues, and provide service in
underserved locations. The project will improve ease of access to DART stations, particularly in non-walkable areas not well served by transit. The evaluation plan outlines
the evaluation approach and methodology with hypotheses, performance metrics, data
requirements, roles and responsibilities, and timelines.
Title: Mobility on Demand (MOD) Metrics and Studies
Grantee: TransitCenter, Inc.
Project Description:
The purpose of this project is to research current and future performance
measurement needs for the integrated mobility environment and develop
supplemental performance metrics as part of FTA’s MOD Program. A goal of this
research is to examine how transit agencies need to reorient their approach to
meeting their objectives and goals in light of potential collaboration with mobility
providers. Examples include bike/scooter sharing, car sharing, micro-transit, ridehailing, transportation network companies (TNCs), peer-to-peer car sharing,
paratransit, demand response, and human service transportation (HST). Another
goal is to recommend performance metrics for FTA, and transit agencies, to
evaluate progress toward MOD goals. Research includes a literature review of
existing transportation goals and performance metrics.
Results:
In FY 2018, the TransitCenter and team member Shared Use Mobility Center
(SUMC) prepared three case studies and conducted a literature review.
Built upon this initial research, SUMC developed a research document with
recommended performance indicators. Notable outputs in FY 2018 included:
• Case studies: were prepared and used as input in understanding needs within
the integrated mobility environments and developing a set of measurement
metrics to capture their performance.
–– Valley Metro Mobility Platform: A Scenario Describing the Project and
Its Planning Phase - Valley Metro’s MOD Sandbox Project – built the
foundation for a unified, comprehensive mobility platform for all users,
including those with disabilities. Building blocks—customer facing
interfaces designed for universal access and dynamic databases that
support all individuals as they plan, take, and pay for multi-modal trips—
are being set into place.
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–– Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority’s (PSTA’s) Public-Private-Partnership
for Paratransit Mobility on Demand Demonstration – created a paratransit
platform for on demand rides hosted by government agencies. The PSTArun platform is also designed to bring ride providers into competition with
each other, empowering users by giving choices at the time the ride is
ordered.
–– LA Metro Mobility on Demand Sandbox Project (draft) – developed a pilot
program with four main features: 1) TNCs, where drivers provide the
vehicles for first/last mile service, 2) payment integration with Metro’s TAP
card including fare subsidies, 3) Wheelchair-Accessible Vehicles (WAVs),
and 4) for travel within geo-fenced areas around selected stops and station.
• Gap analysis: was performed, with findings documented in “Evaluating
Emerging Mobility Partnerships: A Performance Evaluation Framework for
the FTA Mobility on Demand Sandbox.”
The input from preparatory work (literature review, case studies, and gap
analysis) was used to develop performance measures, summarized in an internal
document titled “New Generation of Mobility Performance Indicators – For
Mobility on Demand & Beyond.” This final document provides a performance
measurement approach, the operational, planning, safety, and financial
performance envisioned integrated mobility environments. The final report is in
the draft stage and is expected to be completed Summer 2019.
FTA Funding: $750,000
Figure 7 New Generation of Mobility Performance Indicators - For Mobility on Demand & Beyond
Emerging mobility services such as bikeshare, carshare, e-hail taxis,
and on-demand transit are changing the way people get around
cities, with important implications for public transportation. The
prospect of autonomous vehicles also has implications for the
future. The efforts under the Metrics and Studies project is identifying an updated set of performance indicators to reflect agency
mobility goals and guide the implementation of the MOD solutions.
Title: MOD Information and Knowledge Accelerator (IKA)
Grantee: Shared Use Mobility Center (SUMC)
Project Description:
The MOD Information and Knowledge Accelerator (IKA) enhances mobility by
creating a structured, supported learning and information exchange system. It
also supports a community of practice for the MOD Program. The IKA allows
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those investigating MOD solutions from the public and private sectors to share
ideas, lessons learned, problems and solutions, and research findings. The goal
of the project is to support the successful implementation of MOD Sandbox
projects around the U.S., and build a body of knowledge. Key strategies are to
convene stakeholders, facilitate discussions, summarize learning, and disseminate
knowledge in this rapidly-evolving area.
Results:
The IKA project hosted bi-annual MOD Community of Practice open workshops
with public and private sector stakeholders. These venues promoted information
exchange and shared key lessons learned. The IKA project produced the
following outputs:
• MOD Community of Practice Workshops: the first workshop was held in
October 2017 in Atlanta with 70 attendees, of which 40 were from MOD
Sandbox projects. It provided a venue for frank discussions between Sandbox
grantees and their private sector partners. The workshop also provided
presentations on innovative procurement models, and strategies to remove
barriers around proprietary systems and compatibility issues. MOD Sandbox
grantees shared ongoing project updates and challenges
in a grantees-only session. The second community of practice workshop was
held in March 2018 in Chicago in partnership with the Shared Mobility Summit,
with 90 attendees, including 30 from MOD Sandbox projects. Several Sandbox
project representatives spoke at a breakfast plenary attended by approximately
600 attendees of the Shared Mobility Summit. The meeting shared results and
findings with others pursuing similar projects. the exchange covered legal
issues, examples of public-private data sharing, and approaches being
considered or implemented to overcome challenges. Discussions also probed
topics such as gamification, scaling MOD, engaging emerging mobility
providers, and first/last-mile operations.
• Private online resource: was developed for Sandbox grantees to share project
documents and other tools. Examples include service provision and data
sharing contracts, data management plans, and acquisition documents for the
provision of wheelchair accessible service in MOD Sandbox demonstration
projects. The resource includes a searchable policy database to support the
dissemination of MOD-related practices. In FY 2018, nearly 400 records were
added to the database, allowing those interested in MOD to find examples of
programs indexed by geography, program purpose, and tools. More than 500
people are registered to use the database.
• Webinars: conducted webinars to disseminate information and practices on
MOD projects, including:
– Marketing Successful Mobility on Demand Pilot Projects, December 2017
(http://policies.sharedusemobilitycenter.org/#/analysis/68) with 218 live
attendees; webpage was viewed 225 times during FY 2018.
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–– Shared Mobility for People with Disabilities—Challenges and
Opportunities for Paratransit, September 2017 (http://policies.
sharedusemobilitycenter.org/#/analysis/65) held in FY 2017 with 397 live
attendees, viewed 428 times in FY 2018.
• Reports: were completed to share in-depth information on MOD projects,
both within and outside the Sandbox program, produced brief reports on:
– Contracting for MOD services, featuring the City of Arlington, Texas,
January 2018 (http://policies.sharedusemobilitycenter.org/#/analysis/71).
– Marketing MOD services, featuring projects in Florida, Colorado, and
California, January 2018 (http://policies.sharedusemobilitycenter.org/#/
analysis/69).
– Boston area public-private partnership for on-demand ADA
complementary paratransit service, November 2017 (http://policies.
sharedusemobilitycenter.org/#/analysis/67).
– Kansas City paratransit/micotransit pilot program “RideKC Freedom,”
November 2017 (http://policies.sharedusemobilitycenter.org/#/analysis/66).
FTA Funding: $600,000
Figure 8 March 2018 MOD Community of Practice Workshop Plenary Breakfast
A MOD Community of Practice Workshop Plenary Breakfast
during March 2018 Shared Mobility Summit, brought more than
600 participants from the public and private sectors together to
share knowledge and experience around MOD solutions. In total,
30 representatives of Sandbox project teams participated. Nearly
90% of participants rated the workshop as “good” or “excellent”
in post-event surveys.
Title: Transit Automation Analysis and Research Plan Development
Grantee: The Volpe Center
Project Description:
The purpose of this project is to develop the Strategic Transit Automation
Research (STAR) Plan for FTA and to begin implementing projects included in
the plan. The plan identifies specific transit bus automation research activities
within a five-year horizon. The goals of the STAR Plan are to: 1) conduct enabling
research to achieve safe and effective transit automation deployments, 2) identify
and resolve barriers to deployment of transit automation, 3) build awareness to
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socialize automation for transit stakeholder community, 4) demonstrate marketready technologies in real-world settings, and 5) leverage technologies from other
sectors to move the transit automation industry forward.
The plan is organized around three complementary work areas: enabling
research, integrated demonstrations, and strategic partnerships. Enabling
research covers questions that must be addressed for the transit industry to
engage more broadly with automation technologies. The research is expected
to accelerate entry of manufacturers, suppliers, and transit providers into
automation by building a common understanding of and resolving foundational
issues (e.g., human factors, federal policy, costs and benefits, etc.). Integrated
demonstrations will spur technology development and growth in the transit
industry by applying automation technologies in real-world settings. The
evaluation results and lessons learned from the demonstrations will be widely
disseminated to transit stakeholders. Strategic partnerships will leverage
research projects and investments led by other agencies to improve the quality
and usefulness of research by other actors, and disseminate findings to a broad
community, expanding participation of providers and suppliers.
The plan is based on a series of research studies and coordination with internal
and external stakeholders. Studies included in-depth literature reviews,
qualitative analyses, and benefit-cost analyses. Information from these studies
was supported by interviews with subject matter experts and stakeholders. The
synthesized results identified research needs in the areas of safety and security,
operations and economics, passenger experience, and policy research.
The plan includes a set of five technology packages for 14 use cases representing a
range of near-term and long-term concepts and automation levels 1 – 5
(L1–L5) as defined by SAE International (https://www.sae.org/standards/
content/j3016_201609/). The technology packages respond to stakeholder
needs and include transit bus advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS),
automated shuttles, automated maintenance and yard operations, automated
mobility-on-demand service, and automated bus rapid transit (BRT). These
technology packages comprise the demonstrations outlined in the Integrated
Demonstrations work area of the plan.
Results:
To date, this project completed:
• Final STAR Plan: published in May 2018 on the FTA public website at https://
www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/docs/research-innovation/114661/
strategic-transit-automation-research-report-no-0116_0.pdf. This document
defines a five-year research plan with a research and demonstration
framework. The plan provides numerous benefit by enabling research,
identifying, and resolving barriers. It leads to the deployment and leveraging
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technologies from other sectors. It also demonstrates market-ready
technologies, and transfers knowledge to the transit stakeholder community.
Implementation of the plan will help accelerate development and deployment
of transit bus automation operations. Anticipated benefits of transit
automation include improved safety, increased efficiency and productivity,
reduced costs, increased traveler convenience and comfort through improved
service frequency, flexibility, and reliability, expanded service hours and area,
and increased overall customer satisfaction.
• Webinar: conducted to introduce the draft plan and gather feedback (https://
www.pcb.its.dot.gov/t3/s171205_FTA_Strategic_Transit_Automation_
Research_Plan.aspx), on December 5, 2017 with 435 participants. This effort
built awareness to socialize automation for transit stakeholders.
• Reports: content completed for two reports and final drafts were submitted
for FTA review. The report titled “Application of Light and Commercial
Vehicle Automation Technology to Transit Bus Automation,” was approved
by FTA and it is available at https://www.transit.dot.gov/research-innovation/
transit-bus-automation-project-transferability-automation-technologies-final.
This report leveraged technologies, applications, and lessons learned from the
light and commercial vehicle transportation sectors, which are further along
in vehicle automation than transit. The public transportation industry can use
the report to inform its assessment as to whether and the extent to which
various automation technologies being developed by others may be applicable
in transit environment. The second report, titled “Transit Bus Automation
Test Facilities Requirements,” is under FTA review and it will be published late
Spring 2019. This report identifies test facility characteristics that transit bus
automation developers need to conduct (such as research and development
testing of transit bus automation capabilities) prior to operations on public
roadways. Both reports help to accomplish the goals of conducting enabling
research, leveraging technologies from other sectors, conducting enabling
research, and demonstrating market-ready technologies.
• Interim Policy Review Memorandum: summarized a preliminary review of key
federal policies, regulations, and guidance that may pose challenges to the
deployment of transit bus automation. It identified statutory, regulatory, and
policy barriers to transit bus automation and potential changes. The
memorandum supported the goal of conducting enabling research and
identifying and resolving barriers.
Throughout the duration of the project, additional activities will be completed
with published deliverables. These activities include the following:
• Knowledge transfer activities and materials, such as presentations, webinars,
fact sheets, journal articles, videos, etc., to help the transit industry
implement transit bus automation.
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• User Acceptance Study and Human Factors Research, a component of all
proposed demonstrations, will support the development of useful transit bus
automation capabilities.
The public will adopt and feel comfortable using the STAR Plan as a useful
communication for planning and executing USDOT-sponsored transit automation
projects, and FTA research programs that include elements of automation. The
STAR Plan will also help transit agencies accelerate the deployment of automation
or partial automation in transit operations.
FTA Funding: $1,450,000
Figure 9 Strategic Transit Automation Research Plan
FTA finalized the Strategic Transit Automation Research Plan and made it available to
the public at https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/docs/research-innovation/114661/strategic-transit-automation-research-report-no-0116_0.pdf. The purpose
of this document is to define a five-year research plan with a research and demonstration framework to move the transit industry forward with transit automation. Key
components of the plan include conducting enabling research, identifying and resolving
barriers to deployment, leveraging technologies from other sectors, demonstrating
market-ready technologies, and transferring knowledge to the transit stakeholder
community. Transit automation could deliver many potential benefits, but transit agencies need additional research and policy guidance to make informed deployment decisions.
Title: Accessible Transportation Technologies Research Initiative (ATTRI)
Grantee: State departments of transportation, transit authorities, and nontransit providers
Project Description:
ATTRI identifies, collaborates, coordinates, develops, and implements
transformative solutions to advance accessible transportation and independent
mobility. It is a multi-year, multimodal, multi-agency research and development
effort co-led by FTA, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and
the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office (JPO).
ATTRI’s goals are to: 1) leverage recent advances in vehicle, infrastructure,
and pedestrian-based technologies; and 2) identify accessible data, mobile
computing, robotics, artificial intelligence, object detection, and navigation tools
to identify, develop, and deploy transformative solutions in advancing accessible
transportation and independent mobility solutions.
Many of America’s 57 million people with disabilities face barriers to
transportation and the opportunities afforded by mobility. Whether to ensure
access to jobs, healthcare, or basic life activities, mobility is a key enabler of
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quality of life and success. This need is growing; by 2045, 84 million Americans
will be over age 65—nearly twice as many as today. More than half of these older
adults will have some form of disability, and one in three will have trouble getting
needed transportation. FTA is working with ATTRI and seizing on technological
advances to enable people to travel independently, regardless of their individual
abilities, thus removing barriers to transportation.
Results:
In FY 2017, ATTRI announced the award of six contracts to develop prototype
applications in the areas of wayfinding and navigation, safe intersection crossing,
pre-trip concierge and, visualization under a two-phased development plan. In FY
2018, funded projects made significant progress in their development activities.
The applications were evaluated in Summer 2018 for readiness to advance to
Phase II. Those determined to have met their earlier phase goals, advanced to the
demonstration phase. Applications in the target technology areas of Wayfinding
and Navigation, Pre-Trip Concierge and Virtualization, and Safe Intersection
Crossing are:
• Wayfinding and Navigation Technologies: ATTRI had the following outcomes
and activities in FY 2018 with significant impacts to the areas served:
–– Smart Cane for Assistive Navigation (SCAN) – A robotic white cane
for blind persons and based on previous ISANA and Co-Robotic-Cane
applications developed by City College of New York (CCNY). Developed
system documentation in Spring of 2018. developed a first and second
prototype of the robo-cane hardware in Summer of 2018.
–– Specialized Media for Assisting Route Travel (SMART) – An open
wayfinding media standard and infrastructure developed by AbleLink
Technologies, Inc. Created a steering committee in late 2017 to guide
application development, finalized a systems requirement document in
October 2017, developed a draft wayfinding standard in March 2018, and
demonstrated the initial application in April 2018.
–– AccessPath – A wayfinding tool for wheelchair users and people with visual
disabilities developed by Pathway Accessibility Solutions, Inc. (d/b/a pathVu).
Delivered a map containing 40 miles of data on sidewalks, crosswalks,
and points of interest (bus stops, train stations, etc.) in February 2018.
Developed a step-by-step wayfinding/navigation application prototype in
March 2018, and conducted desktop computer-based demonstration of
prototype functionality in June 2018.
–– NEON® Smart Wayfinding and Navigation Service (SWaN) – Sensorbased indoor navigation using high accuracy 3D location technology
and NEON sensor fusion and mapping technology developed by TRX
Systems, Inc. The System Requirements Document and Traceability
Matrix was finalized and accepted at USDOT in Fall of 2017. In January
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2018, TRX Systems successfully deployed its technology at the FHWA
Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC), testing navigation
requirements to provide travelers with real-time location, en-route
assistance and situational awareness indoors. The second phase of
prototype demonstrations was completed in Summer 2018.
• Pre-Trip Concierge and Virtualization Technologies: Smart Travel Concierge
System (STCS) – A suite of tools to support independent travel for individuals
with cognitive disabilities developed by AbleLink Technologies, Inc.
Demonstrated initial development of the application for the travel assessment
and learning module content in April 2018.
• Safe Intersection Crossing Technology: Adaptive Safe Intersection Crossing
– A tool developed by Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) to connect smart
phone devices of pedestrians with disabilities to traffic signal controllers
so the system can provide adaptive signal timing for people with different
abilities.
• Prototype Development Webinar Series: shared prototype work to date,
including Pre-Trip Concierge & Virtualization (November 7, 2017), Wayfinding
and Navigation (December 13, 2017), Wayfinding and Navigation (January 16,
2018), Safe Intersection Crossing (February 8, 2018).
• General Industry Outreach: presented to a range of audiences, including 2018
Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting (January 2018), APA Annual
Conference (April 2018), Virginia Association for Education and Rehabilitation
of the Blind and Visually Impaired (July 2018), ADA Symposium (June 2018),
Automated Vehicle Symposium (July 2018). ATTRI showcased the capabilities
of applications in development and provided updated in the program’s overall
goal at other events.
Robotics applications using assistive technologies are also being developed under
a different technology area, Automation and Robotics, separately sponsored by
a partner organization, the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living,
and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). During FY 2018, ATTRI showcased the
capabilities of applications in development and provided updates on the program’s
overall work at several industry events such as the American Planning Association
(APA) National Planning Conference, Automated Vehicle Symposium, and the
USDOT and NIDILRR Joint Symposia, and a series of webinars and workshops
with target audiences/stakeholders. Documents, detailed project descriptions,
updates, and webinar recordings, and upcoming events regarding the applications
and prototypes developed under the ATTRI Program can be accessed at
https://www.its.dot.gov/research_areas/attri/index.htm. ATTRI promoted the
development of technologies that support its goals through a range of outreach
activities to spread knowledge of the program’s resources, and inspire developers
across the public, private and academic sectors.
FTA Funding: $2,500,000
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Figure 10 (ATTRI) Complete Trip Fundamentals: Smart Wayfinding and Navigation service (SWaN) Prototype
As part of its ATTRI-funded research, TRX Systems
successfully deployed and demonstrated the functionality
of Ultrawide Band and Bluetooth Low Energy beacons at
the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center on
January 26, 2018. These beacons are components of a
system to support the ATTRI Wayfinding and Navigation
requirements to provide travelers with real-time
location, en-route assistance, and situational awareness
indoors and out. The technology enables users to safely
navigate and travel independently.
Title: Transit and Health Access Initiative
Grantee(s): Competitively selected Transit and Health Access demonstration
grant recipients and CUTR
Project Description:
The Transit and Health Access Initiative (formerly known as “Rides to Wellness”)
is building partnerships, stimulating investment, and driving change across the
health and transportation sectors to ensure that everyone can reach the health
services they need. It is associated with the Coordinated Council on Access and
Mobility (CCAM), a federal interagency council established by Executive Order
13330 in 2004.
Transit and Health Access demonstration grants are providing funding to
communities implementing healthcare access solutions. The primary purpose
is to find and test promising, replicable public transportation healthcare access
solutions that support the Transit and Health Access Initiative goals of increased
access to care, improved health outcomes, and reduced healthcare costs. FTA
funded more than $7.2 million across 19 projects. Demand for this program
exceeded available funds, as FTA received 78 project proposals from 34 states
requesting $28 million.
FTA’s selected projects are diverse and piloting innovative concepts. Grantees
are collecting data to prove the value of linking transportation options with
healthcare appointments. Projects are assessing new technology innovations,
piloting more efficient ways to schedule a ride, leveraging creative community
partnerships, testing systems for coordinating trips, and demonstrating and
deploying real-world solutions. Eight of the 19 projects include operating
assistance and were funded at $2,865,233, as shown in Table 8. The remaining 11
projects, which are capital-only, were funded under the CCAM pilot program for
Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility (ICAM) grants. An annual report on
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the ICAM grant is made publicly available on the FTA Reports and Publications
website: https://www.transit.dot.gov/research-innovation/fta-reports-andpublications.
Results:
The Transit and Health Access demonstration grants are 18-month projects that
began implementation between late 2017 and 2018. Grantees will submit a final
report on results within 90 days of project completion. Seven of the eight
demonstration grant projects were active in FY 2018, and FTA is providing
technical assistance to the one project not yet implemented (required local match
to be secured). The output of the currently active demonstration projects is
informing the CCAM and industry on how to approach transit and health-related
partnerships, and show the positive financial benefit to such partnerships. The
following are relevant results of the demonstration projects:
• San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) – embedded mobility
management into hospital discharge planning, helping patients learn about how
to attend healthcare appointments using public transportation. The Rides to
Wellness: Coordinating Inpatient Medical Transportation for San Diego
County project started implementation in 2018 and is collecting the following
performance measures: 1) increased access to care—reduction of emergency
room wait times, reduction in time between written discharge orders and
actual discharge, and reduction in readmissions; 2) improved health outcomes
—tracking readmission rates among patients using transportation services,
monitoring access to pharmacies and other post-discharge services, linking
patients to Community-based Care Transitions Program, and expanding
beyond Medicare patients to include all at-risk patients; 3) reduced healthcare
costs—reduced bed days and hours. Partners: SANDAG, Facilitating Access to
Coordinated Transportation, and Tri-City Medical Center.
• Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC)’s “Blythe Wellness
Express (BWE), A Coordinated Partnership to Pilot Health Access and Longdistance Regional Transportation” – started July 2017, coordinated
partnerships between transit and healthcare providers to pilot a multi-faceted
transportation program providing regional access for geographically-isolated
Blythe to healthcare across inland Southern California. Performance measures
include: 1) evaluation of health-related outcomes using baseline health status
(self-reported by individuals during registration) and self-reported data by
individuals during trip surveys. This allows responses to
be tracked over time; 2) increased access to care (ability to make and keep
appointments)—defined as the percent of trips that are health-related, rider
access to a vehicle, rider ability to drive, how trip would have been made prior
to BWE, and whether riders previously missed a healthcare appointment due
to lack of transportation; 3) improved health outcomes—
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change in health status; 4) reduced healthcare costs—increase in number
of routine appointments, decrease in number of hospitalizations since last
routine appointment, increase in number of ER visits since last routine
appointment. Partners are Palo Verde Valley Transportation Authority, Palo
Verde Hospital, SunLine Transit Agency, Independent Living Partnership-TRIP
and Blythe Salud Clinic (existing volunteer driver programs), Blythe Cancer
Resource Center, and AMMA Transit Planning.
Project/Program Evaluation:
For all federally funded Transit and Health Access grants, FTA is providing
evaluation support through a cooperative agreement with CUTR, which began
the evaluations in May 2017. FTA received a draft evaluation report in June 2018
that included transcripts from interviews with the grantees and performance
measures.
FTA Funding: $2,865,233
Table 8 Transit and Health Access Projects Receiving Assistance from FTA, FY 2018
Project Title
Project Recipient
City and State
FTA Award
Blythe Wellness Express
Riverside County Transportation Commission Riverside, CA
$185,753
Rides to Wellness: Coordinating Inpatient
Medical Transportation for San Diego County
San Diego Association of Governments
$160,000
San Diego, CA
Rides for Wellness
Atlanta Regional Commission
Atlanta, GA
$337,628
Delaware County Connections Program
Iowa Department of Transportation
Ames, IA
$130,560
Rides2Wellness Detroit
Detroit Department of Transportation
Detroit, MI
$509,475
Gateway Program
Bi-State Development Agency
Saint Louis, MO
$940,251
GO Buffalo Mom
Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority
Buffalo, NY
$468,566
Mommy and Me Ride for Free Program
Ohio Department of Transportation
Columbus, OH
Total
$133,000
$2,865,233
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Figure 11 Delaware County Connections – A Rural Volunteer Based Transit Service
The mission of the Delaware–Dubuque–Jackson County Regional Transit
Authority (RTA) is “Connecting people to life’s destinations.” It is enhancing
the quality of life of residents in Delaware County through a new rural volunteer based transit service that started in July 2017. Performance measures
include no-show rates, miles, rides, hours, and costs, and partners include
Delaware County Supervisors, the City of Manchester, Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development, Veteran’s Administration, Police Department,
and Regional Medical Center. The project positively impacted the lives of
people like Vernon, who began taking the Delaware County Connections van
to his dialysis appointments at Manchester’s Regional Medical Center since
July 31, 2017. He finds the van ideal because it allows him time to eat breakfast
closer to the time of his appointment. “They’ve worked well with me that
way. My family is busy working, and my social service worker said they will
pick you up at the farm. I said okay, I’ll do that! They’ve been great to me! And
I like the van because I’ve had surgery and it’s really comfortable to ride in.”
Title: Mobility Services for All Americans (MSAA)
Grantee: State departments of transportation and transit authorities (see Table 9)
Project Description:
MSAA increases mobility and transportation accessibility through deployment
planning and preparation of coordinated Human Service Transportation (HST)
systems that use Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) capabilities. Persons with
disabilities comprise nearly 20% of the US population. In addition, 45% of eligible
veterans file claims for disability, and 72.1 million people will be over
age 65 by 2030. A lack of accessible transportation options hinders the mobility of
many of these travelers with disabilities, including veterans and older adults.
MSAA assists communities of any size and includes public entities currently
establishing, operating, coordinating, or brokering general public transportation
and HST. Types of communities include public transit agencies, state and local
government departments of transportation, health and human service agencies,
federally-recognized Indian tribes, and metropolitan planning organizations
(MPOs). MSAA provides the opportunity to design a replicable, scalable, and
interoperable Travel Management Coordination Center (TMCC). It allows
agencies to use a coordinated system to share trip requests and schedules to
easily book rides and transfers for customers across service areas, thus improving
the customer experience and minimizing duplication. The projects build upon
a centralized data exchange capability that allows multiple providers to share
information about availability, capacity, rider needs, rider credentials, and useful
data such as real-time vehicle locations and schedules.
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The goals of MSAA are to apply ITS solutions to advance HST delivery, overcome
technical and institutional barriers to promote system interoperability, and
showcase promising technologies and practices that improve travel planning
and coordination for people who need specialized transportation and who are
transportation disadvantaged and transit-dependent. The initiative helps the
transit community by providing vital services for veterans, older adults, people
with disabilities, and others who rely on community transportation to access
everyday needs such as employment, medical care, education, social, recreation,
and entertainment.
To reach these goals, the objectives of the MSAA deployment planning
efforts aimed to fulfill the objectives of involving at least two human service
transportation programs and providers, establishing operational data sharing
and coordination between multiple technology platforms, and demonstrating
functional common fleet information platform to, at a minimum, view each
other’s trip scheduling and vehicle location information in real time.
Results:
All the MSAA grantees were active in FY 2018 and provided the following outputs
in alignment with reaching the stated objectives of the MSAA deployment
planning efforts:
• Technical assistance to MSAA planning and development grantees in Atlanta,
Denver, San Louis Obispo (CA), and Madison (WI). Held periodic project
progress meetings and participating in stakeholder conference calls. Provided
systems engineering support and assisted in the development of deployment
planning documents such as user needs and system requirements documents,
providing input in developing phased implementation plans. Provided assistance
in identifying resources for sustainable funding strategies for deployment,
operation, and maintenance of the planned systems. Each of the four recipients
completed deployment planning documentation and they are ready to move to
the next implementation phase of the planned systems.
• Reference manual titled “Reference Manual for Planning and Design of a Travel
Management Coordination Center,” published in December 2017. It guides
agencies through the systematic process of planning, documentation,
procurement, and integration of TMCC systems and provides essential
information in reaching one of the MSAA Program goals of operational data
sharing and coordination between multiple technology platforms. The report is
available at https://www.transit.dot.gov/research-innovation/reference-manualplanning-and-design-travel-management-coordination-center-tmcc.
• Comprehensive lessons learned document developed, “Road to Coordination:
Lessons Learned while Developing the San Luis Obispo County Travel
Management and Coordination Center (TMCC)” in May 2018 with United
Cerebral Palsy of San Luis Obispo County & Ride-On Transportation
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that documents their experience throughout stakeholder engagement and
outreach process. It supports MSAA’s goal of providing guidance about the
interaction process between at least two human service transportation
programs and providers. This document was also distributed to the attendees
of the Coordinated Transportation Association of America (CTAA) annual
meeting in June 2018. The report is available at https://www.transit.dot.gov/
research-innovation/road-coordination-lessons-learned-while-developing-sanluis-obispo-county-travel.
MSAA assisted with meeting stakeholder needs, requirements, and architecture
models shared and used as baselines for TMCC systems nationwide. It provided
documentation of TMCC evaluations and lessons learned. It provided service and
expanding travel opportunities for all Americans, including those with mobility
challenges to provide a better quality of life. The MSAA program worked to
improve the travel experience for all Americans, with an emphasis on those
who are transportation disadvantaged. The impact of the MSAA program
is the improvement to the quality of life of people who are transportation
disadvantaged by integrating paratransit, HST, and other transportation services,
thus providing travelers more options for destinations, schedules, fees, and
service frequency. Some locations have already improved their systems based on
the concepts proposed by MSAA; others completed the process of planning and
developing their systems in Spring 2018.
FTA Funding: $795,545
Table 9 MSAA Projects Receiving Assistance from FTA, FY 2018
Project Title
Project Recipient
City and State
San Luis Obispo County Travel Management
Coordination Center
United Cerebral Palsy of San Luis Obispo
County/Ride-On Transportation
San Luis Obispo, CA
$186,850
Atlanta Region Platform for One Click, Phase II
Atlanta Regional Commission
Atlanta, GA
$140,250
Northwest Metro Denver Coordination System
Via Mobility Services
Denver, CO
$275,125
Travel Management Coordination Center
(TMCC) of Southern Wisconsin
Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging
Resources
Madison, WI
$193,320
Total
FTA Award
$795,545
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Figure 12 Reference Manual for Planning and Design of a Travel Management Coordination Center (TMCC)
This manual provides a reference for planning and designing a TMCC using ITS
and other technologies to enhance the coordination of mobility services for the
transportation-disadvantaged. The manual is intended to facilitate and encourage
local efforts to pursue technology for this purpose. ITS and other technologies
can serve a valuable role in the coordination of mobility services for the transportation-disadvantaged as provided by transit, paratransit, and human service
transportation providers. These technologies are integrated through the concept of a TMCC, and this concept was developed and demonstrated through the
USDOT MSAA Initiative. The objective of this reference manual is to build on
the experience gained from the MSAA Initiative and provide guidance on how
to plan and design a TMCC. The manual identifies four major steps: assessment of barriers and key unmet
needs, development of a vision of the desirable customer experience, development of a TMCC Vision among
stakeholders defining key organizational and technological choices across the nine stages of the provision of
service, and the conduct of an ITS Systems Engineering project process. The manual also outlines key lessons learned from the MSAA Initiative as they relate to the institutional foundation needed to develop and
sustain a TMCC and identifies many resources to assist those planning a TMCC. The report can be accessed
at https://www.transit.dot.gov/research-innovation/reference-manual-planning-and-design-travel-management-coordination-center-tmcc.
Reference Manual for Planning and
Design of a Travel Management
Coordination Center (TMCC)
DECEMBER 2017
FTA Report No. 0117
Federal Transit Administration
PREPARED BY
ITS America
Infrastructure
Description:
FTA has a successful history of supporting transformative public transportation
infrastructure research and demonstration projects to include those assets
that are used to directly support and provide public transportation service.
FTA’s research focus is to ensure that transformative innovations meet
the public demand for safe and speedy adoption, and create private sector
economic benefits. FTA applied this thinking to all research activities within
the infrastructure research program to include zero emissions vehicles, and
related facilities. Through infrastructure research activities, FTA assessed the
development and deployment of zero emission transit buses, facilities, and
related charging and maintenance technologies as well as ways to ensure effective
management of all capital assets.
Objectives:
• Improve lifecycle maintenance by evaluating methods, products, approaches,
and practice to develop products or service more efficiently.
• Enhance the environment by providing mechanisms for mainstreaming and
determining performance specifications for low and no emission transit bus
components through university-based laboratory testing.
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• Improve the build and project approval process.
• Stimulate economic growth.
FTA had 11 active Infrastructure projects in FY 2018, as shown in Table 10.
Table 10 Infrastructure Programs Receiving Assistance from FTA, FY 2018
Infrastructure Programs
Type of Project
Project Title
FTA Funding
Research
Low or No (LoNo) Emission Component Assessment Program
$3,000,000
Demonstration & Deployment
Track Asset Management Demonstration
$4,225,000
Research
Effects of Capital Cost Forecasting Study and Research
$200,000
Research
Best Practices and Research for Lifecycle-Based Management
$200,000
Research
Bus Propulsion Evaluation and Support
$1,400,000
Demonstration & Deployment
Bus Efficiency Enhancements Research and Demonstrations (BEERD) Program
$3,000,000
Innovation & Development
Transit Economic Requirements Model
Demonstration & Deployment
Low or No Emission Vehicle Deployment Program (LoNo) Program*
$2,000,000
<$76,969,249>
Total
$14,025,000
* The LoNo Program matured from a research program to a capital formula program authorized by Federal public transportation law (49 U.S.C. § 5339). The
amount of $76,969,249 is in brackets to indicate that we are breaking out this program separately from the total of actively managed research projects.
Title: Low or No (LoNo) Emission Component Assessment Program
Grantees: The Ohio State University (OSU) and Auburn University
Project Description:
The purpose of the Low or No Emission Component Assessment Program
(LoNo-CAP) is to meet the requirement by Federal public transportation law
(49 U.S.C. § 5312 (h)). The program provides financial assistance annually to The
Ohio State University and Auburn University. The goals of the program are to: 1)
develop component tests; 2) set up facilities; and 3) complete assessment tests.
The program conducts assessment tests of LoNo components submitted
voluntarily for testing by the component manufacturers. It also provides data
and assessment reports for each test. Assessing low or no emission components
directly supports FTA’s ongoing low and no emission transit bus capital programs
by providing objective unbiased assessments of components used for low or no
emission transit buses.
Results:
To date, the outputs of the LoNo-CAP program include:
• The Ohio State University subcontracted CALSTART for the outreach and
marketing of LoNo-CAP program. The University and its partner, CALSTART,
are currently engaged in marketing and outreach efforts to
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educate the transit industry on benefits of participation in the LoNo-CAP
program. The University anticipates conducting its first LoNo-CAP testing
during the first quarter of 2019.
• Auburn University is in the process of engaging the Center for
Transportation and the Environment (CTE) for its marketing and outreach
effort for the LoNo-CAP program. Auburn University anticipates conducting
its first LoNo-CAP testing during the first quarter of 2019.
Successful completion of the LoNo-CAP annual program will advance low and
no emission technology and increase use of such components in the transit bus
fleet. As more transit manufacturers participate in the voluntary program, it
is expected that the industry will start using benchmarks for certification and
increase development of the low and no emission components. This is also
expected to increase competitiveness in transit component manufacturing, and
help the industry to be a leader in the low and no emission area.
FTA Funding: $3,000,000
Title: Track Asset Management Demonstration
Grantee: Metropolitan Area Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), Atlanta
Project Description:
The purpose of this project is the demonstration of an autonomous track
inspection system (ATIS) to help FTA disseminate innovative track asset
management practices to the transit industry. An autonomous and non-contact
track inspection system with technologies for vehicle and track interaction, track
geometry monitoring, and video inspection mounted under rail vehicles has been
used on passenger and freight rail for several years but not on transit rail. The
major goals of this project are to: 1) demonstrate the transferability of an ATIS
system to transit; 2) demonstrate its effectiveness compared to existing transit
track management practices (track inspection, data analysis, data management and
maintenance); 3) and evaluate the return on investment of the system at MARTA.
Results:
MARTA selected a technology vendor, ENSCO, and an independent evaluator,
Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), to assist with the project,
launched in September, 2017. In FY 2018, the project completed all tasks and
objectives to finalize the system design and develop two reports:
• Evaluation and Assessment Report: Phase I – held conceptual design meetings
in November and December 2017. Electrical and final design reviews were
completed in June 2018. Hardware and software integration effort started
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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in June and will be complete in November 2018. All completed objectives
allowed the project to keep the schedules and not impact the Phase I final
report due date. The project goal is to successfully demonstrate an easily
transferrable autonomous system for transit that can assess track conditions
and its overall state of good repair.
• Evaluation and Assessment Final Report: Phases I and II – held pre-design
meetings in June 2018. Project will begin design in September 2019, as the
Phase II is dependent on a working Phase I system.
Both reports will be available on FTA’s website when the Phase II report is
completed in 2021. The project goal is to demonstrate a more autonomous
safety and asset management ATIS system with thermal imaging of the third rail
and overall track imaging while providing office based review. This project will
be the first deployment of this technology on a transit system in the US. It will
assist track workers to find track anomalies in a real-time environment. This
will increase the safety and resiliency of the overall system. FTA will work with
MARTA to disseminate this information through various venues
Project/Program Evaluation:
The program requires an independent and continuous evaluation during the
project performance period. TTCI led the conceptual, test and final design
reviews that began in October 2017 and has conducted multiple pre-design and
design reviews with ENSCO and MARTA. It also reviewed all design documents,
provided detailed comments and made certain all issues were resolved.
Additionally, it produced design reports for MARTA, and provided final approval
so ENSCO could start testing. Copies of reviews and meeting minutes are
uploaded on the project shared website, managed by ENSCO. TTCI will include
the design report in its final evaluation report. The final project report will
include a separate section for the evaluation report, due to FTA in August 2021.
FTA Funding: $4,225,000
Title: Effects of Capital Cost Forecasting Study and Research
Grantee: PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
Project Description:
This project reviews lump sum cost data for more than 100 New Starts
projects and conducts focused cost reviews on a select sample of projects. This
research evaluates transit cost estimates versus bid pricing across the period
of 1995–2015, which spans two significant periods of economic turmoil and a
large range of project conditions. Federal funding for transit capital projects is
based on cost estimates provided by project sponsors and reviewed by FTA,
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usually before construction bids are received. Accurate estimating is required to
reliably establish these Federal grants. The goals of this project are to determine
drivers behind cost growth from the transit industry perspective and identify
tools, processes, and recommendations for improving FTA’s ability to provide
technical guidance during early project development, specifically related to cost
estimation and risk management. Anecdotal evidence exists and shows that
overall economic conditions or patterns of project conditions may affect the
ability of cost estimators to accurately forecast project costs. Cost estimating
depends upon historical costs adjusted using traditional methods that may not
reflect unusual economic or project conditions. Indicators and recommendations
for rational adjustments during significant economic variance or under certain
project conditions will produce more accurate estimates.
Results:
A final report documenting research data, analysis, findings, and
recommendations is complete, and publication expected in November 2018.
Other relevant outputs under this project included:
• Recommendations: findings recommend enhancing current FTA practices in
guiding development of the project estimate by taking the following actions: 1)
refresh FTA workshops with emphasis on cost estimation best practices and
lessons learned, 2) develop and provide enhanced cost estimating guidance to
all Grantees, 3) require grantees to collect key/major bids prior to finalizing
FFGA budget, 4) update operating procedure 30 (Value Engineering and
Constructability Review) to require independent constructability review prior
to FFGA, 5) update Operating Procedure 40 (Risk and Contingency Review) to
require an independent economic advisor to review market assumptions, and
6) update P-value used to establish FFGA budget provided other
recommendations in this report are implemented. Based on data findings, the
project provided three recommendation focus areas for FTA to consider: 1)
enhance current FTA practices in guiding development of the project estimate,
2) enhance management and control of the project budget during execution,
and 3) enhance its emphasis on creating an environment of continuous
improvement.
• Suggestions: findings suggested enhancing management and control of the
project budget during execution, taking the following actions: 1) update
Operating Procedure 40 to enable PMOCs/FTA to better assess risks
and address the unknown unknowns; 2) update Operating Procedure 25
(Recurring Oversight and Related Reports) to strengthen requirements related
to PMOC project data tracking, consideration of project risks and consistency
of reporting to FTA; 3) create a consistent evaluation framework to assess a
grantee’s preparedness to undertake and manage the specific project; and 4)
apply analytics to risk data to assess project management effectiveness during
project execution.
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Transit agencies and FTA will realize significant benefits from enacting the abovementioned recommendations. The research impact has national significance
because it will improve cost estimating by the transit industry. The project
accurately estimates more effective application of Federal funds, reduced
instances of breaches of Federal funding agreements, and reduced funding stress
by local transit agencies. Outcomes will include Federal guidance to public
agencies to improve project cost forecasting, increased precision of Federal
oversight, increased accuracy of project risk assessments, and reduction of
project risk at the local agency level.
FTA Funding: $200,000
Figure 13 Forecasting Capital Cost
The accuracy, precision, and reliability of grantee and contractor
technical inputs have become more critical due to the increased number
of active projects. With finite resources, FTA is becoming increasingly
challenged with cost estimate validation and cost growth management
within its existing portfolios. FTA projects have encountered projectspecifc conditions that have driven cost growth and delayed schedules,
and these issues are likely to persist. This report summarizes FTA efforts
to indentify practical measures for avoiding cost growth issues.
Title: Best Practices and Research for Lifecycle-Based Management
Grantee: The Volpe Center
Project Description:
The purpose of this research is to identify and incorporate best practices in lifecycle management applicable to public transportation projects. The goals of the
project are to: 1) produce a literature review on practices from related industries
on lifecycle cost management and develop protocol for a pilot project; and 2)
identify best practices in lifecycle management that could be applied in the project
development stage to transportation projects. This project reports the continued
increases in actual capital cost vs. budgeted costs are not consistent, which
creates sizeable funding gaps. Better use of current transit assets by improving
reliability and maximizing lifecycles will positively impact the industry. Most
transit lifecycle costs occur during the operations and maintenance (O&M) phase,
yet many of these costs are a product of short-term cost decisions made during
capital development and equipment acquisition. Currently, deferred maintenance
costs exceed $120 billion and grow by $3 billion per year. If 1% of these costs are
reduced, the return on investment would be strong.
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Results:
Activities under this project for FY 2018 include:
• Literature review: conducted on methods used by public capital institution
managers in other industries, especially the airline and railroad industry
that addressed and resolved reliability, supportability, maintainability, and
sustainability challenges throughout capital project development. Additional
activities conducted original research and benchmarking in the U.S. and
internationally. This research provided industry current best practice
processes and procedures regarding lifecycle management throughout all
phases of a project. It began with concept definition and continued through
design, engineering construction, fielding, and sustainment.
• Reports: completed and finalized a report documenting research data,
analysis, findings, and recommendations for next steps, delivered for FTA
review in May 2018.
• Pilot Program: examined six diverse public transportation agencies with
diverse modal options in Spring 2018 regarding their life-cycle cost strategies.
Developed a pilot program to further explore innovative strategies related to
lifecycle cost management.
The outcomes of this project assisted FTA in determining what analytical tools
and processes can significantly aid in extending the life of transit assets. FTA
discovered effective practices from transit and other industries, specifically
in foreign countries that maintain transit facilities. FTA also discovered the
impact of specific policies and initiatives on maintaining assets. Improvements
in contracting/procurement, cross agency teaming, standards & requirements
development, management processes, procedures and tools, incentivizing
more reliable and maintainable products (especially vehicles and track) through
encouraging more efficient life-cycle-focused design and product manufacture of
transit systems were identified. The impact of this project is gradual reduction
of transit lifecycle costs for the operations and maintenance of transit systems,
which will result in additional savings in the long term.
FTA Funding: $200,000
Figure 14 Lifecycle-Based Management
Literature review regarding methods used by public capital institution managers
in other industries were considered when learning how to effectively address and
resolve reliability, supportability, maintainability, and sustainability challenges
throughout capital project development. This research examined six diverse
public transportation entities regarding their lifecycle cost management practices
and documents the findings.
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Title: Bus Propulsion Evaluation and Support
Grantee: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) under
US Department of Energy
Project Description:
The goal of this project is to evaluate the performance of new bus technology
in real-world applications. The project provides unbiased and comprehensive
assessments of new bus technology in revenue service so transit agencies can
make more informed decisions about the suitability of the technology for bus
revenue service. The project measures bus and bus technology performance on
regularly scheduled bus routes over the course of at least a year. Fuel economy,
fuel costs, bus availability, maintenance costs, and frequency of breakdowns are all
covered. Maintenance issues are further identified by component type, enabling
detailed analysis of bus technology performance. New technology is compared
against a baseline of established technology (such as diesel or compressed natural
gas buses) running similar routes and service. This ensures new technology is
assessed against known technology as well as against all local climate and seasonal
variables. The project is funded through an interagency agreement with the US
Department of Energy, which owns NREL. NREL is an independent third-party
with no institutional or financial interest in the outcome, ensuring unbiased
results accepted across the industry. The project ensures consistent and identical
metrics and measures are applied in all FTA technology evaluations, meaning all
the results from all evaluations can be compared across all projects over time.
This effort continues work begun under FTA’s National Fuel Cell Bus Program
expanded to include evaluations of advanced technology propulsion projects
awarded under other FTA and USDOT programs.
Results:
In FY 2018, the project made key advancements in the industry’s understanding
of the performance of new bus technology in real-world applications. Examples
include the following:
• Final Report: published in March 2018. The final report of the evaluation of
battery electric buses at King County Metro (KCM) presented detailed data
about their performance. The report provides information about the actual
cost and reliability of electric bus technology in comparison to other types
of bus propulsion technology. This information will help transit agencies
understand how electric buses might be expected to perform. Over a oneyear period, data were collected and analyzed on a sample of 10 buses from
KCM’s diesel hybrid fleet and 3 buses from the standard diesel fleet for
baseline comparison to the three-bus battery electric bus (BEB) fleet. The
report can be accessed at https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/
docs/research-innovation/115086/zero-emission-bus-evaluation-results-kingcounty-metro-battery-electric-buses-fta-report-no-0118.pdf.
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
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• Evaluation meetings: in May 2018, the NREL evaluation team met with the
Duluth Transit Authority to prepare for one year of data collection on six
battery electric buses soon to be delivered to Duluth under FTA’s LoNo
Program. This meeting was important because it allowed the NREL staff to
explain to the Duluth bus operators the types of data needed during the
upcoming evaluation. This ensures the staff in Duluth are fully prepared and
have the right systems in place to collect the necessary data in the required
format over the course of the year-long evaluation. If the Duluth staff were
unfamiliar with how to collect the data or unsure of what data to collect, it
could cause errors in the evaluation process, making the evaluation unreliable
and potentially worthless. Therefore, the meeting was critical in creating the
foundation for a successful evaluation. Duluth offers an excellent opportunity
to evaluate the performance of electric buses in a rigorous cold weather
environment. Environmental extremes present unique challenges to electric
bus operations and this evaluation is critical to understanding the present
capability of electric bus technology.
The reports and data developed with FTA support by NREL are the most
significant source of data available to US transit agencies about the performance
of new bus technology in real-world bus service. TCRP recently published a
synthesis on battery electric buses that drew substantially from NREL’s work
(http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/177400.aspx).
FTA Funding: $1,400,000
Figure 15 2018 Bus Technology Evaluation Report
NREL recently completed a year-long evaluation of a fleet of battery-electric buses in
service at King County Metro in Seattle that began operation in February 2016. The
focus of the analysis is on one year of data from April 2016 through March 2017. The
buses are fast-charge, composite buses built by Proterra. KC Metro and NREL selected
three conventional technologies for comparison: standard diesel buses from Gillig, diesel
hybrid buses on New Flyer’s Xcelsior platform, and electric trolley buses on New Flyer’s
Xcelsior platform. Buses are all 40-foot, model year 2015 buses.
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Title: Bus Efficiency Enhancements Research and Demonstrations
(BEERD) Program
Grantees: Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) and
Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), Baltimore
Project Description:
The purpose of the BEERD Program is to reduce energy use by transit buses. The
program also aims to have favorable impacts on meeting the needs of the riding
public, public transportation operators, and the American bus industry and
its supplier base, while simultaneously advancing the USDOT’s research goals.
The goals of the program are to: 1) improve safety, 2) enhance the state of
good repair of transit systems, 3) provide more effective and efficient public
transportation service, 4) increase capital and operating efficiencies, 5) develop
and deploy advanced vehicle designs and technology, 5) reduce harmful emissions,
and 6) increase energy efficiency. BEERD supports FTA’s goal of developing
and deploying new and innovative ideas, practices, and approaches for transit
industries.
Results:
All BEERD projects were active in FY 2018. Outputs of program include:
• Testing: completed testing of thermoelectric generator (TEG) modules and
the assembled system in March 2018. The TEG is already installed on the
demonstration bus and demonstration was completed in July 2018. The
results of the tests will be summarized and reported, and a Reduced Engine
Idle Load (REIL) market evaluation and trade study will be delivered.
• Prototype: The first prototype paratransit bus incorporating a high-power
alternator and electrical energy storage to enable paratransit buses to
provide comfortable cabin air, lights, and wheelchair ramp/lift operation
during engine-off stops was delivered in July 2017 after completing a
1,400-mile road endurance test in hot conditions. This bus entered the
demonstration period in August 2017. The second bus, incorporating lessons
learned from the first, was modified and entered service in November 2017.
The demonstration will be completed by the end of December 2018.
The BEERD program led to the development of a TEG sized to generate 1000W
of 24V electrical power to support bus systems, recovering energy that would
otherwise be wasted as heat escaping the exhaust pipe. All hardware was
procured for a prototype REIL system that enabled bus systems to operate for up
to 30 minutes while the main engine is off, and the team has set up dynamometer
and engine test pods for system-level testing and performance evaluation. BEERD
supported demonstrations of four different technologies expected to help
American transit bus manufacturers and component suppliers achieve greater
competitiveness by offering highly desirable advanced technologies. These
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technologies substantially improve operating costs and energy efficiency, while
supporting a pathway to greater electrification of transit and paratransit bus
powertrains. A TEG can recover energy that would otherwise be wasted as heat
leaving the exhaust pipe. A one-time cost to install a TEG on a new bus or to
retrofit an existing bus can produce ongoing savings in operating costs, fuel use,
and emissions. Paratransit buses may spend even more time idling than transit
buses, and often in particularly sensitive areas like hospitals and nursing homes.
Electrifying the cabin climate control, lights, ADA lift/ramp, and other accessory
systems on paratransit buses enables continued provision of cabin comfort to
riders while the engine is shut off for up to 30 minutes during waiting and while
loading and unloading, significantly reducing operating costs, fuel consumption,
and local pollution and noise impacts. Retrofitting of beltless alternators to
hybrid-electric buses results in substantial fuel economy improvements of up to
20% and more than $6,000 per year per bus in combined fuel and maintenance
savings.
Project/Program Evaluation:
Each project selected under BEERD program includes a built-in fully funded
independent evaluation carried out by a contractor or university. Individual
project evaluation is in progress, and the results will be presented to FTA in a
final projects report by month/year.
FTA Funding: $3,000,000
Table 11 BEERD Projects Receiving Assistance from FTA during FY 2018
Project Title
Project Recipient
City and State
FTA Award
Thermoelectric Generation Demo
Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) Atlanta, GA
Reduced Engine Idle Load System
CTE
Atlanta, GA
UTA Paratransit Accessory Electrification CTE
Atlanta, GA
$697,185
Hybrid Beltless Alternator Retrofit
Baltimore, MD
$495,621
Maryland Transit Administration (MTA)
Total
$532,258
$1,274,936
$3,000,000
Title: Transit Economic Requirements Model (TERM)
Grantee: Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.
Project Description:
The purpose of this project is to produce the transit portion of the statutorily
required Conditions and Performance (C&P) Report to Congress. The
goals of this project are to maintain, enhance, and run the Transit Economic
Requirements Model (TERM) tool. This tool forecasts transit capital needs over
a 20-year period under various distinct investment scenarios. It also produces
the transit portion needed for the C&P Report to Congress based on its data
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output. The C&P report is intended to provide Congress and decision-makers
with an objective appraisal of the physical conditions, operational performances,
and financing mechanisms of highways, bridges, and transit systems based on the
current state of these systems and their projected future state under a set of
alternative future investment scenarios.
The transit portion of the C&P report is developed every two years by FTA and
includes estimates of the U.S. public transportation state-of-good-repair backlog
and the public transportation capital investment needs over the next 20 years.
The information provided by FTA is combined with information from FHWA for
the final biannual report. The final report includes future capital investment needs
of US highway and transit systems for a period of 20 years and incorporates
highway, bridge, and transit information required by Federal transportation law
(23 U.S.C. § 503(b)(8) and 49 U.S.C. § 308(e)). FHWA compiles the final report,
including highways, freight, and transit.
The execution of this project requires expert knowledge of economic modeling
theory, statistics, hands-on, broad experience supporting and developing capital
investment programs of large transit agencies, and very specific knowledge of
TERM, including code, features, and limitations. The project also supports tasks
for enhancements of TERM, data management, maintenance, and documentation
of the model. TERM estimates the condition of Assets (good, standard, below
SGR, etc.) based on decay curves modeled by age and inspections of large
samples of assets owned and managed by agencies throughout the United States.
These decay curves are currently going through a revamp process aimed at
updating parameters and consolidating curves considering the new Asset Module
of National Transit Database.
Results:
For FY 2018, the project performed the following tasks and outputs:
• Model development and support: developed model and IT enhancements
for TERM. These enhancements resulted in more accurate estimates of
capital investment needs and faster processing times. In addition, updated the
National Asset Inventory Database that feeds into TERM with more current
data from transit agencies. This updated database resulted in a more realistic
assessment of the current condition of the National assets. Provided support
and help-desk for users of TERM-Lite.
• Framework and forecasts: produced and delivered the outline and framework
of the 2018 edition of the C&P. Supported FTA in addressing issues raised by
stakeholders, both internally and externally, related to TERM and the C&P.
Produced TERM forecasts quantifying capital investment projections for 3 key
investment scenarios for inclusion in the 2018 C&P:
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–– Maintain recent capital expenses – If the U.S. maintained the level of
investment in transit constrained at the average capital expenses at the last
five-year level, what would be the effect in the condition and backlog of the
national assets by the end of the project horizon, year 20 compared to the
current condition?
–– State of good repair – How much would the U.S. would need to invest to
eliminate the national backlog over a 20-year horizon?
–– Ridership growth – How much would the U.S. need to invest to eliminate
the national backlog and expand the national asset base to support a
projected ridership growth over a 20-year horizon?
The C&P report is produced biannually through a joint effort of FTA and FHWA.
The next report is expected to be sent to Congress in 2019 and will be available
on USDOT’s website.
FTA Funding: $2,000,000
Figure 16 Statutory Reports Produced Under TERM
FTA contributes information needed for the completion of the statutorily-required
Conditions and Performance (C&P) Report to Congress. This document is intended to
provide decision-makers with an objective appraisal of the physical conditions, operational performance, and financing mechanisms of highways, bridges, and transit systems
based on their current state and their projected future state under a set of alternative
future investment scenarios. The report offers a comprehensive, data-driven
background context to support the development and evaluation of legislative, program,
and budget options at all levels of government, and serves as a primary source
of information for national and international news media, transportation associations,
and industry. The C&P report consolidates conditions, performance, and financial data
provided by states, local governments, and public transit operators to present a national-level summary.
Title: Low or No Emission Vehicle Deployment (LoNo) Program
Grantees: Transit agencies; project teams comprising transit agencies, systems
experts, and bus manufacturers
Project Description:
FTA’s LoNo Program deploys the latest new technology transit buses. The
goal of the program is to support transit agencies willing to demonstrate small
fleets (at least five buses) of new bus models largely proven in testing and
demonstrations but not yet widely deployed in transit fleets. The LoNo Program
provides funding to transit agencies for capital acquisitions and leases of next
generation transit buses, as well as acquisition, construction, and leasing of
related charging, refueling, and maintenance facilities. The program shares the
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risk of early deployments of new bus technology and helps inform the industry
of the capabilities and challenges of new technology. Electric bus technology has
significant differences from diesel technology, and the program is helping the
US transit industry identify, understand, and accommodate those differences.
Further, LoNo Program projects are helping FTA determine where additional
research is needed before larger fleet purchases are considered. Economically,
the program increases private investment in cutting-edge US transit bus
development and increases the number of American job opportunities in bus
design, manufacturing, and operations. This program is resulting in lower cost and
increased availability of more energy efficient buses; more private investment in
transit bus development; new jobs in U.S. transit bus design and manufacturing;
and greater knowledge about strengths and weaknesses and how best to deploy
the buses. The LoNo program enables transit agencies to incorporate lessons
learned from the initial deployment of low or no emission buses into their plans
for bus procurements. This program is now a yearly capital program and not a
research program.
Results:
Currently, all 17 projects are active. The following are examples of outputs with
significant results:
• Southeast Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA): delivery and introduction of
25 battery electric buses is underway with final delivery complete as of
October 2018. The project is the largest fleet purchase under the LoNo
program and results in one of the largest battery electric fleets in the US. The
operation at SEPTA is being evaluated under a separate FTA project being
conducted through the Department of Energy (DOE). Information about the
buses’ performance will be collected and analyzed, covering issues such as fuel
economy, fuel costs, bus availability, maintenance costs, and frequency of
breakdowns. Maintenance issues will be identified by component type, enabling
detailed analysis of bus technology performance. This is important because of
the Congressional requirement to report on the impact of the program.
Without data on how the technology performs, the impact of the program will
be more difficult to determine.
• Worcester Regional Transit Authority in Worcester, MA: is successfully
running a fleet of six battery electric buses thanks to additional fast-charge
infrastructure purchased through the LoNo program. Since the goal of
the program is to support transit agencies willing to demonstrate small fleets
(at least five buses) of new bus models largely proven in testing and
demonstrations but not yet widely deployed in transit fleets, this example
shows that, in the case of the WRTA, the program has met its goal.
• Lextran, the Transit Authority of Lexington, Kentucky: continues to
successfully operate its five battery electric buses purchased under the LoNo
program. A video of the Lextran buses produced by Motorweek is available
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on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycbjg3DOk7Q. As the goal
of the LoNo program is to support transit agencies willing to demonstrate
small fleets (at least five buses) of new bus models largely proven in testing
and demonstrations but not yet widely deployed in transit fleets, this example
shows that, in the case of Lextran, the program met its goal.
As buses purchased under LoNo are delivered and made operational, the
evaluation of the program continues to assist the US transit industry in
understanding how to adopt new technology buses in transit service. The impact
of the program is an increased understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of
electric buses and an improved understanding of how best to deploy them. The
program continues to result in the improved availability of lower cost, cleaner
buses, and the increase in American jobs in this cutting-edge technology sector.
The LoNo Program was funded for three years as a research program under
Federal public transportation law (49 U.S.C. § 5312) where it gained increasing
popularity and success. In FY 2016, under new legislation, the LoNo program
was authorized as a capital program under Federal public transportation law (49
U.S.C. § 5339), and funding increased to $55M annually. The program is managed
by the FTA’s Capital Program Office and “LoNo” is renamed “Low-No.”
Project/Program Evaluation:
FTA is supporting the technology evaluations of a cross-section of LoNo project
sites through an interagency agreement with NREL, part of the U.S. Department
of Energy (DoE). The evaluation work by NREL began under the National
Fuel Cell Bus Program and continues under an agreement between DoE and FTA
created in 2015. NREL’s evaluation measured bus and bus technology
performance on regularly scheduled bus routes over the course of a year.
Fuel economy, fuel costs, bus availability, maintenance costs, and frequency of
breakdowns were all addressed. Current evaluations of LoNo sites include
projects in King County, WA; Canton, OH; Duluth, MN; and Philadelphia, PA.
Additional technology evaluations will be performed as buses are deployed
and funding is available. For more detail about the NREL work, see the Bus
Propulsion Evaluation and Support description of this report.
FTA Funding: $76,969,249
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Table 12 LoNo Projects Receiving Assistance from FTA, FY 2018
Project
Transit Agency
Five fuel cell electric buses
City and State
Sunline
Thousand Palms, CA
FTA Award
$9,803,860
Five fuel cell electric buses
Stark Area Regional Transit Authority
Canton, OH
$8,877,405
17 E-series hybrid buses
Red Rose Transit Authority
Lancaster, PA
$2,638,400
Five 60-foot articulated battery electric
buses
Massachusetts Bay Transportation
Authority
Boston, MA
$4,139,188
5 battery electric buses
Transit Authority of River City
Louisville, KY
$3,321,250
5 battery electric buses
San Joaquin Regional Transit District
Stockton, CA
$4,702,011
5 battery electric buses
Duluth Transit Authority
Duluth, MN
$6,343,890
7 battery-electric buses
Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority
Dallas, TX
5 battery-electric buses
Transit Authority of Lexington Fayette
Urban County
Lexington, KY
Charging station for battery-electric buses
Worcester Regional Transit Authority
Worcester, MA
$1,002,600
5 battery-electric buses
Los Angeles County MTA
Los Angeles, CA
$4,275,000
Deploy charging infrastructure for existing
fleet of battery-electric buses
Foothill Transit
Greater Los Angeles,
CA
$1,310,000
5 battery-electric buses
Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District
Commission
Oakland, CA
$1,551,611
Deploy 3 additional fuel cell electric buses
buses to SARTA’s fuel cell electric fleet
Stark Area Regional Transit Authority
Canton, OH
$4,015,174
25 battery-electric buses
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation
Authority (SEPTA)
Philadelphia, PA
$2,585,075
5 battery-electric buses
Utah Transit Authority
Salt Lake City, UT
$5,427,100
Seattle, WA
$3,336,040
Deploy 8 additional battery-electric buses to
King County Metro
King County’s electric fleet
$7,637,111
$6,003,534
Total
$76,969,249
Figure 17 Example of Impact of LoNo Program
The Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) provides
public transportation in the greater Canton, Ohio, area
with 34 bus routes in the communities of Alliance, Akron,
Canton, Cleveland, Hartville, Jackson Township, Louisville,
Massillon, North Canton, and Uniontown. As a result of the
LoNo Program, SARTA received eight fuel cell electric buses
from El Dorado-National. Fuel cell electric buses are similar
to battery-electric buses, but they also have a hydrogen fuel cell that recharges the batteries, extending
the buses range and eliminating the need to recharge the buses overnight. With the new buses, SARTA
operates the largest fleet of American fuel cell electric buses outside of California. Ohio is a major source of
component manufacturing for fuel cell technology. Supported by FTA, the National Renewable Energy Lab is
in the process of conducting a technology evaluation of the fuel cell buses at SARTA. Information about the
performance of the technology is expected to be available in 2019.
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Supporting Programs and Other Initiatives
Description:
FTA has programs and projects that address cross-cutting issues associated with
the three research priorities—Safety, Infrastructure, and Mobility Innovation—
and to support research to practice implementation. In addition to those
programs, FTA manages the statutorily required Transit Cooperative Research
Program (TCRP) through the National Academies of Sciences, and the Small
Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) to support the growth of U.S. small
businesses.
Objective:
Programs under this section support FTA with dissemination, evaluation, and
additional industry-driven and selected research.
Outputs:
• Develop evaluation frameworks and models to evaluate the effectiveness of
research projects, priorities, and programs within a three-tiered concept.
• Support industry-driven research projects.
• Disseminate research findings.
• Ensure accessibility and 508 compliance of all FTA documents posted on the
FTA website.
FTA had four supporting programs and initiatives active in FY 2017, as shown in
Table 13.
Table 13 Supporting Programs and Initiatives Receiving Assistance from FTA, FY 2018
Supporting Programs and Initiatives
Type of Project
Project Title
FTA Funding
Evaluation & Implementation
Information Dissemination and Evaluation Program
Evaluation & Implementation
Workforce Development Program Evaluation and Dissemination
Research
Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
Innovative Development
Small Business Innovation (SBIR)
$1,439,692
$250,000
$5,000,000
$2,854,766
Total
$9,544,458
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Title: Information Dissemination and Evaluation Program
Grantee: USF Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR)
Project Description:
This program assists FTA with communication, dissemination, and evaluation
of research. The communication and dissemination component of the project
is ongoing and produces communication tools used by FTA that are consistent,
professionally edited, and Section 508-compliant downloadable versions of FTA
final reports made available on FTA’s website. This results in the dissemination of
FTA research information in clear, concise, and consistent formats.
The evaluation component of the project helped FTA conduct a comprehensive
evaluation of the USDOT–FTA-funded Transit and Health Access Initiative
(formerly referred as Rides to Wellness) Demonstration Grants Program and
created a multi-tiered evaluation framework to assess results and outcomes
of FTA’s research programs at the project, portfolio, and program levels. The
evaluation framework draws upon the research priorities, goals, and objectives
defined during program planning and from lessons learned during the Transit and
Health Access Initiative pilot evaluation.
Results:
Outputs from the project in FY 2018 include:
• Editing, design, and accessibility of FTA documents: edited, designed,
and made 508-compliant 21 FTA reports (research reports and reports
to Congress) with an additional 10 reports in progress. All FTA reports
completed under this program can be accessed at https://www.transit.dot.
gov/research-innovation/fta-reports-and-publications.
• Evaluation of Transit and Health Access Initiative Grants: conducted webinars
and evaluation interviews with the Transit and Health Access Initiative from
May–July 2017. CUTR created a catalog of grantee performance measures,
developed a draft evaluation plan, and created a formal communications
plan. Monitored performance of each project and will continue to conduct
a comprehensive independent evaluation of the Transit and Health Access
Initiative program through the duration of the project, until September 30,
2019.
• Tiered evaluation framework: completed the development of a tiered
evaluation framework to assess research results and outcomes at the project,
portfolio, and program levels. The final draft of the tiered evaluation was
approved by FTA in March 2018 and it is expected to finalized in December
2018.
The materials produced under this program ensure that all web-based materials
are Section 508 compliant, meeting federal requirements for accessibility. This
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also allows FTA program managers and grantees to focus more resources on the
technical content of reports rather than time-consuming report production.
FTA Funding: $1,439,692
Figure 18 Nested Research Evaluation Framework, FY 2018
CUTR completed the Nested Research Evaluation Framework in 2018 and presented it to FTA. This framework is designed to comply with federal requirements for the evaluation of demonstration programs and to
evaluate FTA’s entire research portfolio. There are three major tiers of research evaluation in this framework:
Tier 3, demonstration programs that must be evaluated under Federal public transportation law (49 U.S.C. §
5312); Tier 2, the three research programs which are FTA’s research priority areas; and Tier 1, FTA’s overall
research portfolio. Under the Nested Research Evaluation Framework, these tiers build upon the results of
the previous tier in a step-wise process leading from demonstration outcomes to overall industry impacts.
Title: Workforce Development Program Evaluation and Dissemination
Grantee: Axiom Corporation
Project Description:
In FYs 2011, 2012, and 2015, FTA awarded a combined total of $20 million in
competitively awarded grants that promoted the development and implementation
of diverse and innovative successful Workforce Development models and
programs. This project conducts evaluations for FTA’s Workforce Development
Program and assists with developing materials to disseminate successful workforce
models. The goals of the evaluation are to: 1) determine if the individual projects
met the deliverables and goals set for each activity, 2) determine the grantee’s
ability to leverage investments of strategic partners to sustain the programs, and
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3) to make policy recommendations that will assist the FTA in refining, planning
and enhancing the overall Workforce Program and their potential impact on local
or national transit workforce development needs. This evaluation determines
where the recipients have achieved performance measures and goals relating
to recruitment, retention, and development of career pathways that support
movement of targeted populations into career opportunities within transit.
Results:
This evaluation project was active in FY 2018, providing the following outcomes:
• Summary Report: completed and submitted to FTA in January 2018
“Innovative Transit Workforce Development Projects of 2012 Summative
Evaluation Report.” The report highlights the value of FTA investment
on recruitment, retention, and development of career pathways, leading
to career opportunities within transit. This report also met the goal to
showcase successful and replicable workforce development models and
lessons learned.
• Telephone interviews: completed in December 2017 with 14 of the 16 award
recipients to determine their success in meeting their individual project goals.
The interviews benefit the overall Workforce Development Program because
they determine if the individual projects are meeting deliverables and goals.
The interviews are also assisting the grantees to share their lessons learned
and success stories.
This project enabled FTA to gain a return on its $20 million investment in more
than 40 Workforce Development projects. Axiom conducted two evaluations
of FTA’s first groupings of Workforce Development projects that covered the
FY 2011 workforce projects and was published in 2016. The second report
evaluates the FY 2012 Workforce projects and will be published once approved
and finalized by FTA. Individual interviews of the FY 2015 Workforce Recipients
are currently underway. The third and final evaluation report is currently being
compiled and will be completed no later than March 2019.
FTA Funding: $250,000
Title: Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
Grantee: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS)
Project Description:
TCRP is a statutory program conducted through a cooperative agreement with
NAS through TRB and in partnership with the Transit Development Corporation,
the non-profit training arm of APTA. TCRP is an applied research program with
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the goal of developing near-term, practical solutions to problems facing public
transportation and has an established reputation for providing useful reports and
other tools to help public transportation practitioners solve problems and inform
decision makers.
TCRP’s mission is to promote, select, and conduct research and disseminate
research findings to improve the practice and performance of public
transportation. The selection of research projects is the responsibility of the
TCRP Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Committee, which consists of
industry executives, representing the primary beneficiaries of TCRP research.
The TOPS Committee functions as the TCRP governing board and sets research
priorities, and TCRP includes FTA’s strategic research goals as criteria for
screening and selecting projects, helping to further extend FTA’s reach.
TCRP’s cooperative nature is further reflected in the development of expert
practitioner panels assigned to each project. The panels refine project
scopes, review contractor bids, and select and guide contractor teams as they
conduct research and develop the report. The rationale for having the public
transportation community at the table from the beginning is to ensure that
products are responsive to the needs of the public transportation field and are
most likely to have buy-in for implementation.
Results:
In the first half of FY 2018, TCRP completed 12 reports and selected 22 new
research projects. Most TCRP studies extend beyond a 12-month period. TCRP
staff currently manage a portfolio of approximately 45 project panels on projects
that extend across multiple fiscal years. Each active project also includes FTA
Liaison to support coordination and information-sharing.
Following are significant results of the TCRP program:
• TCRP Day: APTA launched the first TCRP Day on June 6, 2018, to raise
awareness about the value TCRP provides to the public transportation
industry through a series of locally-based events across the country. More
than 50 transit organizations hosted events. Full details are available on the
TCRP Day Tool Kit website at https://www.apta.com/resources/tcrp/Pages/
TCRP-Day-Toolkit.aspx.
• TOSP Committee: during its summer meeting in June 2018, the TOPS
Committee adopted a new set of program performance measures to
improve TCRP’s ability to track progress against its programmatic goals and
communicate to a diverse audience of interested parties.
• New website: The program introduced a new website in April 2018 to
improve its visual appeal, streamline communications, and make navigation
more intuitive for a diverse audience of users, available at http://www.trb.org/
TCRP/TCRP.aspx.
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• Annual report: TCRP released its Annual Report of Progress in December
2017, which highlights the year’s major accomplishments and activities; can be
accessed at http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/176943.aspx.
• Research studies: in October 2017, the TOPS Committee selected five
research studies in addition to delegated committees’ selections of seven
synthesis projects, four quick response projects, four legal digests, and two
IDEA projects. TCRP received 59 research problem statements from public,
private, and non-profit entities, frequently in cooperation with one or more
TRB committees.
In the first half of FY 2018, TCRP completed 12 publications, including 4 research
reports, 4 synthesis reports, 1 research digest, and 1 legal digest; all are available
at https://www.nap.edu/author/TCRP/transportation-research-board/transitcooperative-research-program.
In addition to publication downloads from the National Academies Press,
webinars attendance is a key indicator of how many people are accessing TCRP
products. Communicating results is a necessary first step to facilitate research
to practice pipeline. Webinars offer a relatively resource-efficient and interactive
environment where attendees can hear directly from the report authors, ask
clarifying questions, and receive feedback that might make a proposed solution
more relevant to their particular environment. For the first time, TRB’s webinar
system hit its registration capacity when 1,300 people signed up for Broadening
Understanding of the Interplay between Public Transit, Shared Mobility, and
Personal Automobiles (hosted by TRB on May 15); 665 people participated in
Improving the Resilience of Transit Systems Threatened by Natural Disasters
(hosted by TRB on March 12); 212 people participated in Knowledge Management
Resources to Support Strategic Workforce Development for Transit (cohosted
through the National Transit Institute on March 27); and 591 people attended
Impacts of Laws and Regulations on CV and AV Technology Introduction in
Transit Operations (hosted by TRB on a transit-related product from the
National Cooperative Highway Research Program on November 16).
With $5 million authorized and appropriated annually, TCRP supported the
public transportation industry and community through conferences, webinars,
and project panels, maintaining a high level of public transportation industry and
stakeholder engagement. The program selected high-priority research projects
through the TOPS Committee process and noted public transportation problems
in needs of applied research by inviting the submission of research needs from
the public transportation industry and stakeholders. TCRP reports and studies
are important resources to public transit agencies that improves operations and
service.
FTA Funding: $5,000,000
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Figure 19 Improving the Resilience of Transit Systems Threatened by Natural Disasters
TCRP was the first program to hit TRB’s webinar
registration cap, with over 1,300 people seeking to
attend “Who’s Riding TNCs and What Does It Mean
for Public Agencies?” The webinar featured research
from the TCRP Report 95 (available at http://www.
trb.org/Main/Blurbs/ 177451.aspx) and explored how
Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) such as
Uber and Lyft are affecting the use of public transit
and personal automobiles in several regions by drawing on several sources, including one of the first uses
of TNC trip origin-destination data. The webinar outlined key findings and insights from this research about
how, when, and where TNCs are most frequently used, and the relationship between this use, public transit usage, and driving commutes. The presenters also provided a range of recommendations that may assist
public transit agencies and other public entities attempting to engage with TNC services in large, midsized,
and smaller urban areas.
Title: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program
Grantee: Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
Project Description:
The purpose of the SBIR program is to help small businesses grow by funding
product development research in strategic areas such as safety, operations,
maintenance, and other topics important to transit. A key component for a small
business proposed innovation is its potential for commercialization. The goals
of SBIR are to 1) stimulate technological innovation; 2) meet Federal research
and development needs; 3) foster and encourage participation in innovation and
entrepreneurship by women and socially or economically disadvantaged persons;
and 4) increase private-sector commercialization of innovations derived from
Federal research and development funding.
There are two types of SBIR grants: Phase I grants develop proof-of-concept and
commercial potential in strategically important areas like safety or operations.
Phase I grants are for a maximum of $150,000 for a six-month period. Phase II
grants further refine and develop successful Phase I-funded products or solutions.
For Phase II investments, the expectation is that the small business will derive
future revenue from a commercially available product or solution developed
through the program. Phase II grants are typically awarded for approximately
$750,000 for a two-year period.
FTA is one of eight operating administrations within USDOT that funds SBIR
research. Federal law mandates that each OA set aside a portion of its annual
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research budgets to fund SBIR grants. FTA contributes 3.2% of its yearly research
discretionary funding to SBIR grants. FTA’s FY 2018 discretionary funding amount
for SBIR is $640,000.
Results:
All projects shown in Table 14 are active. During FY 2018, FTA had more than
$1.6 million in active SBIR projects—two Phase II projects and one Phase I
project that was announced in July 2018. Outputs of selected SBIR projects
currently in progress with significant results are:
• Transit vehicle passenger counting: in FY 2018, Migma Systems continued work
on its Phase II transit vehicle passenger counting and re-identification sensor
system. During November 2017, Migma conducted a performance evaluation
on the system using data collected over a seven-hour span of passengers
boarding and alighting bus. The test resulted in an accuracy of 99% for
passengers boarding bus and an accuracy of 96% for passengers alighting bus.
An internal report was submitted to FTA in December 2017. Passenger
monitoring is essential for the management of any transit system and with this
sensor system, it has the capability to re-identify each passenger to understand
his or her boarding and alighting locations. This can optimize vehicle schedules
to maximize transit capacity and reduce delay time. This sensor system is an
example of how FTA’s SBIR program is meeting its goal of stimulating
technological innovation.
• Sensors for trains: in May 2018, Migma developed two new sensors for trains,
and an internal report was submitted to FTA in June 2018. The development of
the two sensors for trains allowed Migma to proceed with testing the systems
accuracy in counting and re-identifying passengers boarding. It also allowed for
alighting trains in a crowded environment during peak hours. With transit
agencies facing major issues in rider utilization and travel patterns, Migma’s
passenger counting and re-identification sensor system has the potential to
alleviate these issues. This sensor system is another example of how FTA’s
SBIR program is stimulating technological innovation.
• Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection Devices for Transit Buses: in FY 2018,
Novateur Research Solutions continued work on its Phase II Pedestrian
and Cyclist Detection Devices for Transit Buses. During December 2017,
Novateur completed the first version of the prototype system with the
capability to gather data from multiple sensors, process data streams from
both Infrared and LIDAR sensors, detect pedestrians and cyclist, and predict
probability of collision. During January to March 2018, Novateur worked
to improve system software so that it is robust enough for long term
operations onboard a vehicle. Internal reports were submitted to FTA in
January 2018 and April 2018. With transit buses involved in approximately
100,000 collisions each year and nearly 100 fatalities and 7,500 injuries, this
system is designed improve pedestrian and cyclist safety. This effort is an
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example of how FTA’s research investments are meeting federal research
and development needs to further USDOT strategic goals such as improving
safety across our nation’s transportation systems.
• Bus testing system: in April 2018, Novateur live-tested the prototype system
by installing the sensors on a vehicle and driving the vehicle in Pittsburgh
at different times of the day and in a variety of real and simulated settings.
Data was collected to be used for analysis and further testing of the system.
An internal report was submitted to FTA in May 2018. The benefit of livetesting the system will allow Novateur to make system improvements and test
on actual transit buses. The live-testing of Novateur’s detection system is an
example of how FTA’s SBIR program is helping stimulate technological
innovation. In June 2018, Novateur presented Year 1 progress to FTA staff on
the current state-of-the-art, technical and operational challenges, and how
Novateur’s methodology tackles these challenges. In addition, Novateur
discussed the technical details of system, the latest results of testing and
integration efforts, and its future plans for its proposed system. This provided
an opportunity for FTA to provide comments and questions and engage
in productive dialogue with small business. An internal presentation was
submitted to FTA in June 2018. Novateur’s Year 1 progress presentation
is an example of how FTA’s SBIR program is fostering and encouraging
participation in innovation and entrepreneurship and stimulating technological
innovation.
Each grantee will submit a final project report upon project completion in
Fall 2019 and Fall 2020. The final reports will describe the effectiveness of the
proposed solution and product. These projects will result in small business
growth and technological innovation. SBIR projects are expected to new drive
new business development and solve pressing issues in the transportation
industry.
FTA Funding: $2,848,756
Table 14 SBIR Projects Receiving Assistance from FTA, FY 2018
Project Title
Project Recipient
City and State
FTA Award
Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection Devices for Buses
Novateur
Sterling, VA,
$749,994
A Reliable Transit Passenger Counting and Re-Identification System
Using Occlusion-Proof Biometrics
Migma Systems
Walpole, MA
$749,999
Guided Augmented Independence Travel Aid (GAIT-Aid)
Design Interactive, Inc.
Orlando, FL
$143,990
FTA Interagency Agreement with the Volpe Center for new Phase I
project
Volpe Center
Cambridge, MA
Total
$1,204,773
$2,848,756
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Figure 20 Counting Passengers through Body Height Curve
Traditionally, tracking the origin and destination of riders was done
using labor-intensive and costly origin and destination surveys,
usually using only small sample of riders. For transit vehicle
passenger counting and re-identification, it is important to have
accurate results under any condition. FTA’s investment in Migma
Systems’ Passenger Counting and Re-Identification System will
allow transit agencies to count and re-identify passengers with
efficiency and accuracy. Using reliable biometrics, Migma Systems
is using the passenger’s hair or hat color along with their shoulder
cloth color and body height to accurately count and re-identify passengers boarding and alighting vehicle. The
trifecta of all three biometrics can count and re-identify transit passengers with an accuracy of 95 percent or
greater. This provides great value to the transit industry because it will not only provide exceptional accuracy
but it will save money and time for transit agencies that would normally need staff to manually count
passengers alighting at transit stops.
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Acronyms and Abbreviations
ATTRI
Accessible Transportation Technology Research Initiative
BEERD
Bus Efficiency Enhancements Research and Demonstrations
CTE
Center for Transportation and the Environment
CUTR
Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of
South Florida
DBE
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
DOE
Department of Energy
USDOT
Department of Transportation
FAST
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (Public Law 114-94)
FHWA
Federal Highway Administration
FTA
Federal Transit Administration
FY
Fiscal Year
GHG
Greenhouse Gases
HMD
Health and Medicine Division
HST
Human Service Transportation
ITS
Intelligent Transportation Systems
LoNo
Low or No Emission
MAP-21
Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act,
(Public Law 112-141)
MARTA
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
MOD
Mobility on Demand
MSAA
Mobility Services for All Americans
NAS
National Academy of Sciences
NFCBP
National Fuel Cell Bus Program
NREL
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
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ACRONYMS & ABBREVIATIONS
R&D
Research and Development
R/R&D
Research/Research and Development
R2ZE
Race to Zero Emissions
REIL
Reduced Engine Idle Load
ROW
Right-of-Way
SAFETEA-LU Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act:
A Legacy for Users (Public Law 109-59)
SBC
Small Business Company
SBIR
Small Business Innovation Research
SOW
Statement of Work
SRD
Safety Research and Demonstration
SRER
Innovative Safety, Resiliency, and All-Hazards Emergency
Response and Recovery Research Demonstrations
TCRP
Transportation Cooperative Research Program
TERM
Transit Economic Requirements Model
TMCC
Travel Management Coordination Center
TRAC
Transit Research Analysis Committee
TRB
Transportation Research Board
TRI
FTA’s Office of Research, Demonstration, and Innovation
TSO
FTA’s Office of Safety and Oversight
TVM
Transit Vehicle Manufacturer
VAA
Vehicle Assist and Automation
VTCLI
Veterans Transportation and Community Living Initiative
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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Transit Administration
East Building
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
https://www.transit.dot.gov/about/research-innovation
| File Type | application/pdf |
| File Title | FTA Annual Report on Public Transportation Innovation Research Projects for FY 2018 |
| Subject | Public transportation, Federal public transportation law, public transportation research, FTA appropriations, FTA research, FTA |
| Author | D O T - Federal Transit Administration |
| File Modified | 2019-03-04 |
| File Created | 2019-02-27 |