Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 16, 2018 / Notices 2323 

notice. FTA will not pay for any 

materials provided in response to this 

notice and submittals will not be 

returned to the sender. 

Each response should reference the 

docket number (FTA–2017–0024), and 

provide the name and contact 

information (company, company 

representative’s name, phone, email, 

etc.) of the submitter, at a minimum. 

For information about the Federal 

Transit Administration, please refer to 

the FTA website at https://

www.transit.dot.gov/. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on January 10, 

2018 under authority delegated in 49 CFR 

Part 1.91. 

K. Jane Williams, 

Deputy Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2018–00615 Filed 1–12–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

[Docket No. FTA–2017–0025] 

Removing Barriers to Transit Bus 

Automation 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration 

(FTA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) seeks public 

comment regarding current or potential 

regulatory or other policy barriers to the 

development, demonstration, 

deployment, and evaluation of 

automated transit buses and related 

technologies for Society of Automotive 

Engineers (SAE) automation levels 3 

through 5. For purposes of this notice, 

‘‘bus’’ is defined broadly to consider a 

range of sizes, vehicle platforms and 

configurations, and passenger 

capacities, and could include both 

traditional and novel vehicle designs 

(e.g., full-size city buses, articulated 

buses, small shuttles, etc.). ‘‘Bus’’ 

includes bus rapid transit. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted by 

March 2, 2018. FTA will consider latefiled comments to the extent 

practicable. 

ADDRESSES: Please submit your 

comments by only one of the following 

methods, identifying your submission 

by docket number FTA–2017–0025. All 

electronic submissions must be made to 

the U.S. Government electronic site at 

http://www.regulations.gov. 

(1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov and follow 

the online instructions for submitting 

comments. 

(2) Mail: Docket Management Facility: 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

Washington, DC 20590–0001. 

(3) Hand Delivery or Courier: West 

Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, between 9 

a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time, Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

(4) Fax: 202–493–2251. 

Instructions: You must include the 

agency name (Federal Transit 

Administration) and Docket number 

(FTA–2017–0025) for this notice at the 

beginning of your comments. Submit 

two copies of your comments if you 

submit them by mail. For confirmation 

that FTA received your comments, 

include a self-addressed stamped 

postcard. Note that all comments 

received will be posted without change 

to www.regulations.gov including any 

personal information provided and will 

be available to internet users. You may 

review DOT’s complete Privacy Act 

Statement published in the Federal 

Register on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 

19477). 

Docket: For access to the docket to 

read background documents and 

comments received, go to 

www.regulations.gov at any time or to 

the U.S. Department of Transportation, 

1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Docket 

Operations, M–30, West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

Washington, DC 20590 between 9:00 

a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

questions, contact Steve Mortensen, 

Office of Research, Demonstration and 

Innovation, Federal Transit 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. 

SE, Room E43–422, Washington, DC 

20590, phone: (202) 493–0459, fax: (202) 

366–3765, or email, Steven.Mortensen@

dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Overview 

Transportation currently is 

undergoing a transformation. As traveler 

preferences and needs recently have 

evolved and continue to change, so have 

the capabilities of emerging 

transportation technologies and, more 

importantly, the operational concepts 

defining how those technologies will be 

deployed in our communities. 

Motor vehicle automation (both as a 

technology platform and service model) 

has become the most talked about 

development for surface transportation 

in recent times. Many industry 

stakeholders and observers anticipate 

and expect that public transportation 

will have a significant role in this new 

space, as garnered from transit 

stakeholders during FTA preliminary 

research on the subject. Certain 

operational applications such as 

circulator or first mile/last mile service 

are clear instances where the use of 

automated motor vehicles could play a 

very effective role, based on transit 

stakeholder input and preliminary 

benefit-cost information on these service 

types. Circulator service is regular 

service within a closed loop, typically 

on a fixed route, and may be found in 

business parks, retirement communities, 

college campuses, downtowns, etc. First 

mile/last mile service provides service 

between high-capacity fixed-route 

service, such as rail transit and bus 

rapid transit, and a traveler’s origin and/ 

or destination, usually within a radius 

of three miles and often in an area of 

low-density development. 

Preliminary findings from FTA 

research are supported by a National 

Highway Cooperative Research Program 

study on automated transit (Gettman, 

Douglas, et al. 2017. NCHRP Project 20– 

102 (02), Project Report Document 239, 

Impacts of Laws and Regulations on CV 

and AV Technology Introduction in 

Transit Operations.) (see also https://

www.nap.edu/download/24922#) which 

suggest that non-technical issues may 

present challenges or barriers to the 

development, demonstration, 

deployment, and evaluation of 

automation technologies in transit bus 

applications. For example, existing 

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration Federal safety 

requirements and vehicle test 

procedures generally do not anticipate a 

fully driverless vehicle, and FTA 

procurement and other requirements 

could limit product availability for 

automated transit buses, particularly for 

automation levels 3 through 5. 

FTA seeks comments from 

stakeholders, including the disability 

community, to better understand 

regulatory and policy barriers and 

challenges to development, 

demonstration, deployment, and 

evaluation of automation systems in the 

transit industry. Information from this 

RFC will help inform FTA’s approach to 

automated transit buses, including 

determining whether to pursue potential 

modifications of FTA regulations, 

guidance, and internal practices, and 

may also help inform any future 

legislation. 

This notice is a request for comments 

and information only. It is not a 

solicitation for project proposals. 

Submission of any information in 

response to this notice is voluntary. The 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
2324 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 16, 2018 / Notices 

Government will not pay for any effort 

expended in responding to this notice. 

II. Scope and Submission of Comments 

The goal of this notice is to better 

inform FTA regarding current or 

potential regulatory and other policy 

areas, and procedures or actions that 

may slow or prevent the development, 

demonstration, deployment, and 

evaluation of automated transit buses 

and related technologies. For purposes 

of this notice, ‘‘bus’’ is defined broadly 

to consider a range of sizes, vehicle 

platforms and configurations, and 

passenger capacities, and could include 

both traditional and novel vehicle 

designs (e.g., full-size city buses, 

articulated buses, small shuttles, etc.). 

‘‘Bus’’ also includes bus rapid transit. 

FTA requests comments from 

stakeholders, including the disability 

community, concerning technologies 

spanning automation levels 3 through 5 

as defined in the SAE standard J3016_

201609 (see http://standards.sae.org/ 

j3016_201609/) and as used in the 

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration Automated Driving 

Systems (ADS): A Vision for Safety 2.0 

guidance. 

In particular, FTA seeks comments 

with respect to the following areas of 

interest: 

A. Are there existing FTA statutes, 

regulations, or policies that may present 

a challenge or barrier to the 

development, demonstration, 

deployment, or evaluation of automated 

transit buses? If so, please specify or 

describe these challenges, and provide 

proposed resolution, if possible. 

B. Are there other Federal statutes, 

regulations, or policies (e.g., Federal 

Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, etc.) 

that may present a challenge or barrier 

to the development, demonstration, 

deployment, or evaluation of automated 

transit buses? If so, please specify or 

describe these challenges, and provide 

proposed resolution, if possible. 

C. Are there any specific regulatory 

barriers related to small business that 

DOT/FTA should consider, specifically 

those that may help facilitate small 

business participation in this emerging 

technology? 

D. Are there other regulatory, policy, 

or legislative challenges or barriers not 

otherwise specified above, which may 

impede development, demonstration, 

deployment, or evaluation of automated 

transit buses? If so, please specify or 

describe these challenges, and provide 

proposed resolution, if possible. 

Where applicable, indicate the level(s) 

of automation impacted by the statute, 

regulation, or policy. Please note FTA is 

not seeking comments pertaining to 

systems without an automated driving 

aspect (e.g., driver warnings and alerts), 

unless the system is evolving to include 

automation levels 3 through 5 in the 

foreseeable future. Please also note that 

this notice is not seeking comments 

related to rail fixed guideway systems or 

personal rapid transit systems. 

Interested parties are requested to 

respond to this notice in writing as soon 

as possible but not later than March 2, 

2018. 

For information about the Federal 

Transit Administration, please refer to 

the FTA website at https://

www.transit.dot.gov/. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on January 10, 

2018 under authority delegated in 49 CFR 

part 1.91. 

K. Jane Williams, 

Deputy Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2018–00617 Filed 1–12–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Maritime Administration 

[Docket No. MARAD 2018 2018–0001] 

Requested Administrative Waiver of 

the Coastwise Trade Laws: Vessel FAR 

SEA II; Invitation for Public Comments 

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, 

Department of Transportation. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Secretary of 

Transportation, as represented by the 

Maritime Administration (MARAD), is 

authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.- 

build requirement of the coastwise laws 

under certain circumstances. A request 

for such a waiver has been received by 

MARAD. The vessel, and a brief 

description of the proposed service, is 

listed below. 

DATES: Submit comments on or before 

February 15, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to 

docket number MARAD–2018–0001. 

Written comments may be submitted by 

hand or by mail to the Docket Clerk, 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 

Docket Operations, M–30, West 

Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 

Washington, DC 20590. You may also 

send comments electronically via the 

internet at http://www.regulations.gov. 

All comments will become part of this 

docket and will be available for 

inspection and copying at the above 

address between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

federal holidays. An electronic version 

of this document and all documents 

entered into this docket is available at 

http://www.regulations.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Bianca Carr, U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Maritime 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, Room W23–453, 

Washington, DC 20590. Telephone 202– 

366–9309, Email Bianca.carr@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As 

described by the applicant the intended 

service of the vessel FAR SEA II is: 

—INTENDED COMMERCIAL USE OF 

VESSEL: ‘‘Intended for use as a small 

passenger vessel available for 

skippered and bareboat charters with 

captains approved by the insurance 

company, the owner, and the county 

of Los Angeles.’’ 

—GEOGRAPHIC REGION: ‘‘California’’ 

The complete application is given in 

DOT docket MARAD–2018–0001 at 

http://www.regulations.gov. Interested 

parties may comment on the effect this 

action may have on U.S. vessel builders 

or businesses in the U.S. that use U.S.- 

flag vessels. If MARAD determines, in 

accordance with 46 U.S.C. 12121 and 

MARAD’s regulations at 46 CFR part 

388, that the issuance of the waiver will 

have an unduly adverse effect on a U.S.- 

vessel builder or a business that uses 

U.S.-flag vessels in that business, a 

waiver will not be granted. Comments 

should refer to the docket number of 

this notice and the vessel name in order 

for MARAD to properly consider the 

comments. Comments should also state 

the commenter’s interest in the waiver 

application, and address the waiver 

criteria given in § 388.4 of MARAD’s 

regulations at 46 CFR part 388. 

Privacy Act 

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), 

DOT/MARAD solicits comments from 

the public to better inform its 

rulemaking process. DOT/MARAD posts 

these comments, without edit, to 

www.regulations.gov, as described in 

the system of records notice, DOT/ALL– 

14 FDMS, accessible through 

www.dot.gov/privacy. In order to 

facilitate comment tracking and 

response, we encourage commenters to 

provide their name, or the name of their 

organization; however, submission of 

names is completely optional. Whether 

or not commenters identify themselves, 

all timely comments will be fully 

considered. If you wish to provide 

comments containing proprietary or 

confidential information, please contact 

the agency for alternate submission 

instructions. 

(Authority: 49 CFR 1.93(a), 46 U.S.C. 

55103, 46 U.S.C. 12121) 

* * * 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES