Capital Metro, RATP Dev hosting autonomous shuttle demonstration
The demonstration, which will be held March 16 to 17 on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin, is designed to illustrate how Capital Metro and RATP Dev are working together to provide new and innovative ways for people to move around Austin, while helping to reduce emissions that can damage the environment.
Austin, Texas’ Capital Metro along with RATP Dev, the parent company of McDonald Transit, will preview the future of public transportation by hosting a demonstration of an EasyMile EZ10 fully autonomous shuttle.
The demonstration, which will be held March 16 to 17 on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin, is designed to illustrate how Capital Metro and RATP Dev are working together to provide new and innovative ways for people to move around Austin, while helping to reduce emissions that can damage the environment.
Ad Loading...
“Because transit is not a one-size-fits-all solution to mobility challenges, we are actively working to identify cost-effective technologies that will allow us to better match our services to the needs of the community,” said Wade Cooper, chairman of the Capital Metro board of directors.
RATP Dev, operating as McDonald Transit, has been Capital Metro’s largest bus service provider since 2012. RATP Dev helps Capital Metro manage and operate its 269-vehicle fleet, providing more than 22 million rides per year, including expanded services to accommodate large increases of visitors during many of Austin’s most popular attractions, such as the SXSW festival, Austin City Limits, and Formula 1 racing.
Earlier this year, UT Austin’s Center for Transportation Research (CTR) was selected to be a U.S. DOT-approved Autonomous Vehicle Proving Ground. The CTR, along with the Wireless Network and Communications Group, have been developing and exploring technologies that allow vehicles and infrastructure to collect roadway data and then share that data through wireless communication.
CTR researchers will be demonstrating some of these connected technologies, including object detection via camera and radar fusion; LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) mapping; DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications); and millimeter-wave data transfer (at up to four gigabytes per second) on UT Austin vehicles.
The service is a flexible, reservation-based transit service designed to close the first- and last-mile gaps and connect riders to employment for just $5 per day.
Transit agencies depend on safe, reliable vehicles to deliver consistent service. This eBook examines how next-generation fleet software helps agencies move from reactive processes to proactive operations through automated maintenance, real-time safety insights, and integrated data. Learn how fleets are improving uptime, safety outcomes, and operational efficiency.
In a recent episode of METROspectives, LYT CEO Timothy Menard discusses how artificial intelligence, cloud connectivity, and real-time data are transforming traffic management, boosting bus reliability, and enabling system-wide transit optimization across cities.
The analysis finds that a $4.6 trillion investment across all levels of government over 20 years ($230 billion per year) would be required to build, operate, and maintain a transit network that approaches the level of service within a cohort of 17 global cities with world-class transit systems.
As the transportation landscape continues to evolve in the wake of the pandemic, few manufacturers have faced, or embraced, change as decisively as Forest River Bus.
