October 2017
From the President
Greetings!we recently surveyed our Board Members and Industry Group Members to help prioritize what we should be working on. In summary, what we learned was that strategically we should:
  • Maintain a clear direction
  • Increase membership
  • Have an action-oriented committee structure

Tactically we should work on the following tasks:
  • Document results from ATN systems in public service
  • Collaborate with other organizations
  • Obtain outside financial support
  • Be a thought leader/knowledge repository
  • Continue this newsletter
  • Optimize the website
  • Send letters/emails to transportation leaders
  • Continue improving the APM Standards
  • Educate legislators/demonstration system
  • Develop technical and design guidelines.

We will keep all of these ideas (and more) in mind as we work to restructure ATRA and ATRA IG and develop a new committee structure.

As always, enjoy reading!

Best regards,
Peter Muller, ATRA President
Upcoming Events
ATRA membership is an opportunity for you and your organization to contribute to a better world by leveraging advanced transit to improve mobility and accessibility. Membership works best for those that get involved and contribute.
This is a FREE newsletter. If it has been forwarded to you, you may want to
Facebook
ATRA News
The History of the Advanced Transit Association (ATRA)
Year Eight - 1986

By Dr. J. Edward Anderson

Other News
Driverless Dubai buses pass strict climate tests ahead of 2020 launch
Dutch technology firm announces successful trial of automonous buses to link Bluewaters Island off Dubai coast

Uber’s Goal is Not to Operate Alongside Public Transit but to Replace It
Uber has built its reputation on being a 21st-century alternative to the taxi. Its supporters praise its lower fares, driver ratings and the convenience of being able to see where one’s driver is located directly on the app.

What is hyperloop, how does it work and when will it arrive?
With news that the Richard Branson-backed Hyperloop One will begin construction of its first commercial route in 2019 — then open it to passengers as early as 2021 — here is the GearBrain guide to the hyperloop.

Owners of China’s Traffic Hopping Bus Project Arrested
The quirky bus that went viral last year when videos appeared showing it straddling two lanes of traffic is no more. Reports have emerged that, in light of the company's illegal investments, the project has ground to a halt and the tracks have been dismantled.

Space Florida woos startup satellite builder
Separately, Space Florida confirmed that a Silicon Valley-based mass transit company — not an aerospace business — may the first commercial operation to set up shop at KSC’s former space shuttle runway, which NASA turned over to the state two years ago.

World's First Trackless 'Smart Train' Launched In China
A city in China has launched a futuristic, trackless train, which uses virtual railway lines to take it from place to place.

The train, which can travel as quickly as 43 mph (70kmh), and carry as many as 300 passengers, is being hailed as the world's first 'smart train'.

Self-driving bus starts first route in Germany
German railway company Deutsche Bahn has introduced an autonomous bus to drive passengers along a pre-programmed route in Bavaria. In case of an emergency, a human driver can take control with a joystick.

Smart Driving Cars Episode 9
The October 25th 2017 edition of the Smart Driving Cars Podcast. Host Fred Fishkin with Princeton University's Alain Kornhauser and guest Fred Payne, council member from Greenville County, South Carolina. Greenville's autonomous taxis are rolling. Bank of America analysts see big investment opportunities in vehicle technology. 

SUCCESSFUL CLIMATE TEST
2getthere’s newly developed prototype of a Group Rapid Transit (GRT) autonomous vehicle has this month seen its first operational test in simulated desert climate conditions. It was subject to three tests in weather conditions such as ‘hot dry’ and ‘hot humid’, with a focus on the performance of the air conditioning system at the vehicles’ maximum (24) passenger capacity. 

Mountain View, Calif., Mulls Automated Transit Options
Among the big questions debated by Mountain View City Council members during a study session Tuesday was whether the city should build some kind of “automated guideway transit” system at street level or above.

City looks to the sky for future transit line
In their quest to lay the groundwork for a future transit system, members of the Mountain View City Council are grappling with more than one paradox.

Virgin's Branson takes front seat in development of hyperloop.
Fresh from its world-first full hyperloop journey, Hyperloop One has linked up with one of the world’s most well-known brands to help make it a commercial success. Virgin announced the partnership with Hyperloop One after the company's founder, Richard Branson, saw the technology take its pioneering voyage. 

WHAT POTHOLES? BBMP GETS IISC OK, WILL ROLL OUT THE PODS
Will Bengaluru soon be known for its pods and not just potholes? It seems like a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie, but Namma Ooru may soon become the first city in India, nay the world, to move in pods.

CARBON NEUTRAL CARRIAGE RIDE
Crown Prince Guillaume and Crown Princess Stéphanie took a ride in an automated vehicle in Masdar City--a planned, sustainable city in the UAE--on 13 October.

FHWA Awards $4 Million Grant to South Carolina’s Greenville County
for Automated Taxi Shuttles
WASHINGTON – Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) officials today awarded a $4 million Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) grant to South Carolina’s Greenville County for its automated taxis.

Feds: 'Driverless taxis' coming to Greenville public roads
The idea of driverless vehicles in Greenville County has been circulated for years — but now, millions of federal dollars have been pledged to a new system that would begin to bring them to public roads.

Arlington’s‘uber’ ambitious plan for public transit
Let’s try a little word association.

We say public transit. You say... lacking, weak, inadequate?

Any of those words would accurately describe the state of public transportation in the DFW area, but they ring especially true for Arlington.

| Advanced Transit Association| 303-800-1529 | www.advancedtransit.org