Background

Public transit agencies across the nation are increasingly adopting automation and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven solutions. As the technologies evolve, critical questions are emerging regarding safety validation, testing protocols, and regulatory alignment. Automated systems for fare collection, vehicle safety, and transit operations require robust testing frameworks to ensure reliable functionality. Current practices for measuring and mitigating the risk (including false positives and negatives, compliance with safety standards, and stakeholder coordination) vary across agencies. There is limited knowledge on how transit agencies approach automation testing and risk mitigation.

Synthesis Objective

The purpose of this synthesis is to document current transit agency practices in automation testing, safety risk profiling, test validation procedures, and balancing innovation with regulatory compliance in transit operations. This synthesis will provide agencies with approaches to automation testing and risk mitigation.

Information to be Gathered

At a minimum, the contractor shall gather the following information:

• Testing protocols and frameworks for transit automation systems.
• Validity of automated systems test results (false positives and negatives management) and associated risk implications.
• Agency processes for integrating automation pilots with safety standards.
• Examples of coordination between transit agencies, technology vendors, and regulatory bodies.
• Lessons learned from pilot programs and large-scale rollouts.