Governing bodies, DOTs, and local transportation agencies will require a better understanding of the ramifications of emerging CV/AV enabled applications. For example, extensive regulations, rules, and contracts govern the operations and characteristics of transit systems. Some of them, such as preservation of current job categories, could be incompatible with the new technologies. Almost certainly, the role of transit drivers will change and that will require significant coordination with labor unions. Also, there will be a need for new safety certification procedures of AV transit systems that are not confined to fixed guideways, as well as new risk insurance models and pricing. Such issues need to be identified, understood, and next steps identified to enable the widespread adoption of CV/AV technologies in transit systems.
The objectives of this research were to: (1) describe the current regulatory and policy landscape of transit system planning, development, funding, implementation, and operations that could impact the introduction of CV/AV technologies; (2) describe regulatory and policy changes that may be needed to facilitate the enhancement of existing, and implementation of new forms of public transportation enabled by various CV/AV technologies; and (3) identify and discuss the implications of CV/AV technologies for stakeholders involved in the governance and regulation of public transportation.
