Demo 2003 : showcasing the benefits of automated driving of transit buses and heavy trucks.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the University of California PATH Program are developing the next major international demonstration of the application of Advanced Vehicle Control and Safety System (AVCSS) technologies to improve transportation operations. This demonstration concentrates on the applications that appear to be most likely to benefit from automated vehicle operations within this decade: (1) urban transit buses providing an automated bus rapid transit service on a special busway and (2) heavy-duty long-haul tractor-trailer trucks operating on a reserved truck lane. The demonstration includes rides for visitors on the automated vehicles, as well as exhibits to explain the broader benefits of the use of automation which cannot be shown directly on a ride, plus technical presentations, workshops, displays of existing and emerging commercial products and meetings of stakeholder organizations from the ITS, transit and trucking industries. It is meant to focus attention on the comprehensive transportation services enabled by automation technology, not just on the technology itself. This demonstration is one step in a longer-term plan for development and deployment of cooperative vehicle-highway automation systems in California, including a demonstration of passenger car automation in 2006 and an operational test beyond that. For the covering abstract see ITRD E209471.