The pilot vehicle was recently transported to Virginia to have the equipment installed, said Shawn Cowan, Butler County RTA’s director of Customer Care and Public Engagement.
“The safety of our passengers, drivers, and community is our highest priority,” she said. “This innovative technology has the potential to redefine how transit agencies across the country protect lives on the road.”
The SMART Grant-funded package includes installing several technologies, including:
- Cruise control enhances driving stability and fuel efficiency by reducing erratic speed changes.
- Adaptive cruise control to automatically maintain safe vehicle distances and reduces collision rates by up to 14%, according to Insurance Institute for Highway Safety data.
- Forward collision warning to help reduce rear-end crashes by up to 56% with injury, per National Safety Council and IIHS research.
- Lane keeping assistance to prevent head-on collisions and associated injuries, with reductions of 11 to 21% in such crashes.
- Data logging to record key metrics like speed, braking and system performance before, during and after incidents, which is critical for future safety development.
The vehicle is expected to return to Butler County this fall for testing and evaluation. Outcomes for the demonstration will evaluate how the technology can reduce the severity and frequency of accidents within transit fleets.
Planned for later this year, the Butler County RTA is expected to expand its Hamilton campus on Moser Court to accommodate a new fleet of propane buses, which are expected to be delivered in July. The city had approved the plan, which won’t see building construction until its Phase 2, and elements of that plan have yet to be determined.
The first phase aims to make the Moser Court property — which only about a third of the property is developed — dedicated to the RTA’s operations, training and maintenance departments, according to the plans.
BCRTA Director of Maintenance and Capital Infrastructure Paul Williams said the expansion is needed to Hamilton’s Planning Commission earlier this year. Over the years, the agency has been asked to offer more rides to communities. Today, they have 45 buses, and he called it “playing Tetris” trying to get the buses parked at the Hamilton facility.
About the Author
