Much of the scientific inquiry into the potential effects of automated vehicles has focused on ride hailing and transportation networking companies. What about good old-fashioned buses?

The Federal Transit Administration recently unveiled a five-year research initiative to explore the benefits of automated vehicles to public transit.
Greg Rogers shares news and insight into the new initiative, called the Strategic Transit Automation Reearch (STAR) Plan, which is intended to "serve as a guide for the agency and transit stakeholders through FY 2022."
According to Rogers, the initiative will shift the focus of the inquiry into the potential benefits of automated vehicles away from transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft. Instead, "STAR will focus solely on buses….For the purposes of this research, FTA is broadly defining buses to include “traditional” buses (e.g., cutaways, 40 foot buses, and articulated buses) as well as innovative vehicle designs like driverless shuttles (e.g. EasyMile)."
Rogers also shares the timeline for the START project, which "entails at least one – and sometimes three – demonstration projects per fiscal year through FY 2022, plus a slew of research initiatives to understand the effectiveness of automated buses, consumer acceptance, and potential workforce impacts…"
FULL STORY: FTA Launches 5-Year Research Initiative for Transit Automation

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

Opinion: California’s SB 79 Would Improve Housing Affordability and Transit Access
A proposed bill would legalize transit-oriented development statewide.

Record Temperatures Prompt Push for Environmental Justice Bills
Nevada legislators are proposing laws that would mandate heat mitigation measures to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat.

Downtown Pittsburgh Set to Gain 1,300 New Housing Units
Pittsburgh’s office buildings, many of which date back to the early 20th century, are prime candidates for conversion to housing.
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