Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 16, 2018 / Notices 2321 

the last five years. His endocrinologist 

certifies that Mr. West understands 

diabetes management and monitoring, 

has stable control of his diabetes using 

insulin, and is able to drive a CMV 

safely. Mr. West meets the requirements 

of the vision standard at 49 CFR 

391.41(b)(10). His optometrist examined 

him in 2017 and certified that he does 

not have diabetic retinopathy. He holds 

a Class A CDL from Ohio. 

Rodney J. Woods 

Mr. Woods, 52, has had ITDM since 

1994. His endocrinologist examined him 

in 2017 and certified that he has had no 

severe hypoglycemic reactions resulting 

in loss of consciousness, requiring the 

assistance of another person, or 

resulting in impaired cognitive function 

that occurred without warning in the 

past 12 months and no recurrent (two or 

more) severe hypoglycemic episodes in 

the last five years. His endocrinologist 

certifies that Mr. Woods understands 

diabetes management and monitoring, 

has stable control of his diabetes using 

insulin, and is able to drive a CMV 

safely. Mr. Woods meets the 

requirements of the vision standard at 

49 CFR 391.41(b)(10). His 

ophthalmologist examined him in 2017 

and certified that he has stable 

proliferative diabetic retinopathy. He 

holds a Class A CDL from Alabama. 

Timothy A. Zimmerman 

Mr. Zimmerman, 53, has had ITDM 

since 2013. His endocrinologist 

examined him in 2017 and certified that 

he has had no severe hypoglycemic 

reactions resulting in loss of 

consciousness, requiring the assistance 

of another person, or resulting in 

impaired cognitive function that 

occurred without warning in the past 12 

months and no recurrent (two or more) 

severe hypoglycemic episodes in the 

last five years. His endocrinologist 

certifies that Mr. Zimmerman 

understands diabetes management and 

monitoring, has stable control of his 

diabetes using insulin, and is able to 

drive a CMV safely. Mr. Zimmerman 

meets the requirements of the vision 

standard at 49 CFR 391.41(b)(10). His 

optometrist examined him in 2017 and 

certified that he does not have diabetic 

retinopathy. He holds an operator’s 

license from Indiana. 

III. Request for Comments 

In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) 

and 31315, FMCSA requests public 

comment from all interested persons on 

the exemption petitions described in 

this notice. We will consider all 

comments received before the close of 

business on the closing date indicated 

in the DATES section of the notice. 

IV. Submitting Comments 

You may submit your comments and 

material online or by fax, mail, or hand 

delivery, but please use only one of 

these means. FMCSA recommends that 

you include your name and a mailing 

address, an email address, or a phone 

number in the body of your document 

so that FMCSA can contact you if there 

are questions regarding your 

submission. 

To submit your comment online, go to 

http://www.regulations.gov and in the 

search box insert the docket number 

FMCSA–2017–0288 and click the search 

button. When the new screen appears, 

click on the blue ‘‘Comment Now!’’ 

button on the right hand side of the 

page. On the new page, enter 

information required including the 

specific section of this document to 

which each comment applies, and 

provide a reason for each suggestion or 

recommendation. If you submit your 

comments by mail or hand delivery, 

submit them in an unbound format, no 

larger than 81⁄2 by 11 inches, suitable for 

copying and electronic filing. If you 

submit comments by mail and would 

like to know that they reached the 

facility, please enclose a stamped, selfaddressed postcard or envelope. 

We will consider all comments and 

materials received during the comment 

period. FMCSA may issue a final 

determination at any time after the close 

of the comment period. 

V. Viewing Comments and Documents 

To view comments, as well as any 

documents mentioned in this preamble, 

go to http://www.regulations.gov and in 

the search box insert the docket number 

FMCSA–2017–0288 and click ‘‘Search.’’ 

Next, click ‘‘Open Docket Folder’’ and 

you will find all documents and 

comments related to this notice. 

Issued on: January 5, 2018. 

Larry W. Minor, 

Associate Administrator for Policy. 

[FR Doc. 2018–00579 Filed 1–12–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

[Docket No. FTA–2017–0024] 

Research Program: Automated Transit 

Buses 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration 

(FTA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) seeks public 

comment regarding the current and 

near-future status of automated transit 

buses and related technologies. FTA 

seeks comments in particular from 

parties involved in the development, 

demonstration, deployment, and 

evaluation of currently available or 

near-market ready automated buses; 

systems and components that support 

bus automation; and ancillary systems 

that support non-driving bus operator 

functions (e.g., wheelchair securement, 

occupant detection, passenger 

information assistance, fare payment, 

etc.). 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–2017–0024. 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–2017–0024) 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 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
2322 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 16, 2018 / Notices 

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. 

FTA is seeking comments and 

information for the purpose of 

determining the current state of the 

industry as related to automated vehicle 

technology in order to make more 

informed decisions regarding future 

areas of research. The intent of this 

request for comments is to gauge the 

transit industry and other sectors’ 

ability and interest in responding to one 

or more near-future Notices of Funding 

Opportunity (NOFOs) for 

demonstration(s) and evaluation(s) of 

use cases where commercially ready 

technology and products could be 

applied to transit to provide early 

demonstrable results. FTA has 

identified transit bus automation use 

cases, organized into five general 

categories, as outlined below: 

1. Transit Bus Advanced Driver 

Assistance Systems (ADAS) 

• Smooth Acceleration and 

Deceleration 

• Automatic Emergency Braking and 

Pedestrian Collision Avoidance 

• Curb Avoidance 

• Object Avoidance 

• Precision Docking 

• Narrow Lane/Shoulder Operations 

• Platooning 

2. Automated Shuttles 

• Circulator Bus Service 

• Feeder Bus Service 

3. Maintenance, Yard, and Parking 

Operations 

• Precision Movement for Fueling, 

Service Bays, and Bus Wash 

• Automated Parking and Recall 

4. Mobility-on-Demand Service 

• Automated First/Last Mile 

• Automated Americans with 

Disabilities Act (ADA) Paratransit 

• On-Demand Shared Ride 

5. Automated Bus Rapid Transit 

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 

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 of existing transit bus 

automation technology, and to assist 

FTA in identifying potential areas of 

future research. 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. 

FTA requests comments for a broad 

range of automation technologies 

spanning automation levels 1–5 as 

defined in the Society of Automotive 

Engineers (SAE) standard J3016_201609 

(see http://standards.sae.org/j3016_

201609/). Responses to this notice will 

help inform FTA on the technological 

readiness of the transit industry to 

participate in demonstrations of use 

cases as identified above. 

In particular, FTA seeks comments 

with respect to the following areas of 

interest: 

A. What transit bus automation and 

supplemental technologies currently 

exist, and/or are being developed? Are 

there any ADAS, inclusive of automated 

actuation (e.g., as in an automated 

emergency braking application), 

currently available or soon to be 

available in the market? If so, please 

specify or describe these new systems 

and products. 

B. What light-duty and commercial 

vehicle automation technologies 

currently on the market or in 

development could be transferred or 

applied to transit buses? 

C. Are there any new business models 

or processes that may arise in response 

to or may accommodate transit bus 

automation, including, but not limited 

to, cross-organizational data 

management and exchange? If so, please 

specify or describe these new potential 

business models or processes. 

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 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. 

Each response should indicate which 

level of automation the technology or 

process addresses. Inclusion of existing 

supplemental information is welcomed 

and encouraged. This supplemental 

information could include reports, 

presentations, specifications, or other 

documentation. Interested parties are 

requested to respond to this notice in 

writing as soon as possible but not later 

than March 2, 2018. 

This request for comments is for 

information and planning purposes 

only, and is a market research tool to 

determine the availability and adequacy 

of potential business sources prior to 

determining the method of acquisition 

and possible issuance of a Request for 

Proposal (RFP) or NOFO, including the 

use of any non-profit organization or 

small business program. This notice 

does not constitute a solicitation for 

bids, quotations, and proposals, and is 

not to be construed as a commitment by 

FTA to issue an RFP or NOFO. FTA is 

not obligated to and will not pay for any 

information received from potential 

sources as a result of response to this 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
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