INSTRUCTOR: 
Matthew C. Lesh
Walter Kulyk, P.E., M.ASCE

Purpose and Background

The same connected and automated vehicle technologies shaping the private vehicle industry also hold considerable promise for public transportation. These technologies stand to fundamentally transform how transit systems operate, the level of technological expertise required to operate them, and the interactions between transit and its surrounding infrastructure and land uses.

This webinar is the first in a three part series on upcoming technological advancements revolutionizing public transportation. In fact, public transportation has a rich history of demonstrating these and other enabling technologies that will further automated transport development in the near term. These technologies include Vehicle Assist and Automation (VAA), Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and other Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) solutions. After the initial, overall introduction, subsequent webinars will discuss institutional, infrastructural and operational challenges and opportunities that will need to be addressed in order to realize the adoption of these and other new technologies, and develop the related operational strategies within public transportation. A special emphasis will be to explore how these technologies will enhance the first & last mile challenges public transportation faces and how they will ultimately lead to true shared mobility, and thus eventually form the foundation for smart cities.

Primary Discussion Topics

• Multimodalism
• Convergence
• Shared-Use Mobility
• Shared Economy
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• Data Collection and Analytics
• Connected Cities
• Transit Oriented Development
• Wayfinding and Navigation
• ITS and Assistive Technologies
• Automation and Robotics
• Data Integration
• Human Service Transportation
• Fare Payment Media
• Mobile Technology
• Social Media
• On-Demand Transportation Services
• Transportation Network Companies
• Automated Transportation Networks
• Alternative Fuel Technologies

Learning Objectives

• Gain a deeper knowledge and appreciation for the operational context of public transportation and past and future technological advancements that are paving the way to a new era of personal mobility, big data and connected cities.
• Describe and discuss various foundational technologies within the intelligent transportation spectrum
• Gain insight into the future of public transportation and its role in an interconnected transport system
• Learn of new and exciting activities being researched and piloted around the United States and the world

Webinar Benefits

• Exposure to the latest trends and developments in a rapidly changing field within civil/transportation engineering
• Energize civil/transportation engineers about the field of public transportation
• Initiate discussion about how technological innovation in public transportation will affect the array of future mobility modes as well as shape land use and development
• An appreciation of the complex relationship(s) necessary between the public and private sector to achieve the full potential of coming technological advancements
• Illustrate how new technologies will positively impact suburban and rural mobility
• Provide a “big picture” context for social changes driving a shift away from the private automobile
• Present an up-to-date look at alternative fuel and energy advances in public transportation

Webinar Outline

• Introduction -general concepts and terminology
• Brief history of technological innovation in public transportation
• Recent advances in communications technologies within public transportation
• Recent advances in location/navigation technologies within public transportation
• Recent advances in energy/fuels technologies within public transportation
• Recent advances in data collection and analytics technologies within public transportation
• Connected vehicles and automation advances within public transportation
• Impacts on land use and developments
• Seeing the big picture (Smart Cities, Shared Mobility, etc.)
• Questions

Intended Audience

• Those with basic planning/engineering level of understanding of transportation and its relationship to land development