Opportunity Information: Apply for D2008 VAA TRI 001
Apply for D2008 VAA TRI 001
- The DOT/Federal Transit Administration in the transportation sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Pilot Program To Demonstrate The Benefits Of Vehicle Assist And Automation (VAA) Applications For Full Size Public Transit Buses" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 20.514 Public Transportation Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Nov 27, 2007 and posted on Nov 27, 2007.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 28, 2007. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $1,900,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,900,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education City or township governments County governments State governments.
- Other Eligible Applicants are as follow Nonprofits Public Transit Agencies
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Opportunity Summary:
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), under the U.S. Department of Transportation, offered a discretionary grant opportunity to fund real-world demonstrations of vehicle assist and automation (VAA) applications on full-size public transit buses. The core purpose of the program was to move beyond lab testing and pilot VAA technologies in actual revenue service, meaning the buses would be operating in normal public transit duty (carrying passengers on real routes) while the technology is evaluated. Through this effort, FTA aimed to generate credible operational evidence about how specific automation or driver-assist features perform in daily transit environments, what benefits they produce, what challenges arise during deployment, and what it takes for a transit agency to adopt and maintain the systems.
Awards were to be made as one or more cooperative agreements rather than standard grants. A cooperative agreement generally means FTA expected to remain substantially involved during the project, such as participating in planning, monitoring, and evaluation activities, and ensuring the demonstration produces usable results for the broader transit community. The funding instrument signals that this was not just about buying equipment; it was also about structured demonstration, data collection, reporting, and knowledge transfer.
The opportunity was posted November 27, 2007, with an application deadline of December 28, 2007, and an estimated total funding amount of $1.9 million. The award ceiling was also $1.9 million, indicating FTA could potentially fund one project up to that amount, though it left open the possibility of multiple awards depending on proposal quality and scope. The award floor was listed as $0, which typically means there was no minimum award size formally specified. The program required cost sharing or matching, so applicants needed to contribute non-federal resources (cash and/or eligible in-kind support) as part of the overall project budget, rather than relying entirely on federal funds.
Eligible applicants included a range of public-sector and related organizations positioned to deploy and evaluate transit bus technology. This included state governments, county governments, city or township governments, and public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. The eligibility information also identified additional eligible applicants such as nonprofits and public transit agencies. In practical terms, this structure supports applications led by transit agencies themselves as well as partnerships where a university, nonprofit research organization, or local government collaborates with a transit operator to implement and study VAA systems.
The program was categorized under Transportation and tied to CFDA number 20.514, Public Transportation Research, reflecting its emphasis on applied research and demonstration rather than routine service expansion. While the announcement text provided here does not list specific VAA technologies, the intent is clearly focused on driver-assistance and automation capabilities that can be implemented on full-size buses and evaluated for measurable outcomes in day-to-day service. Typical outcomes such programs seek to demonstrate include improvements in safety (for passengers, operators, pedestrians, and other road users), operational efficiency, service reliability, lane keeping or docking precision, reduced collisions or near-misses, smoother operations that improve passenger comfort, and potentially reduced maintenance or operating costs depending on the application. Because the demonstrations occur in revenue service, the projects also tend to surface practical integration issues such as operator training, human factors and driver interaction with automation, maintenance and diagnostics needs, agency procedures, and the impacts of weather, roadway geometry, traffic, and stop spacing on system performance.
FTA provided an additional information link titled "VAA Demonstration RFP," and applicants who could not access the full announcement electronically were directed to contact Michael R. Baltes, ITS Program Manager, Federal Transit Administration, Office of Mobility Innovation, at (202) 366-2182, located at 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE, Washington, DC 20590. This contact point suggests the program was aligned with FTA intelligent transportation systems (ITS) work and was intended to produce lessons learned that could guide future deployments and standards across the transit industry.
In summary, this grant opportunity funded cost-shared, federally coordinated demonstrations of bus automation and driver-assist technologies in real transit operations, with the goal of producing evidence on benefits, implementation requirements, and broader applicability for public transportation agencies.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this grant opportunity about?
This Federal Transit Administration (FTA) discretionary funding opportunity supported real-world demonstrations of vehicle assist and automation (VAA) applications on full-size public transit buses. The focus was on testing and evaluating automation and driver-assist features while buses operate in normal revenue service, carrying passengers on regular routes.
What is the main purpose of the program?
The program aimed to move VAA technologies beyond laboratory testing by demonstrating them in daily transit operations. FTA sought credible operational evidence showing how specific automation or driver-assist features perform in real conditions, what benefits they provide, what deployment challenges occur, and what is required for a transit agency to adopt, operate, and maintain the systems.
What does "revenue service" mean in this opportunity?
Revenue service means the buses would be operating in normal public transit duty (for example, carrying passengers on real routes as part of regular service) while the VAA technology is evaluated.
What type of federal funding instrument was used?
Awards were planned as one or more cooperative agreements rather than standard grants.
What is a cooperative agreement, and why does it matter?
A cooperative agreement generally means FTA expected to remain substantially involved in the project. That involvement could include participating in planning, monitoring, and evaluation activities, and helping ensure the demonstration produces results that are useful to the broader transit community. This signals the project was intended to include structured demonstration activities, data collection, reporting, and knowledge transfer, not only equipment purchase.
Which federal agency offered the opportunity?
The opportunity was offered by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) under the U.S. Department of Transportation.
When was the opportunity posted and when were applications due?
The opportunity was posted on November 27, 2007. The application deadline was December 28, 2007.
How much funding was available?
The estimated total funding amount was $1.9 million.
What was the maximum award amount?
The award ceiling was $1.9 million, meaning a single award could potentially be as large as $1.9 million.
Was there a minimum award size?
The award floor was listed as $0, which typically indicates no minimum award size was formally specified.
Could FTA make more than one award?
Yes. The notice indicated awards could be made as one or more cooperative agreements, meaning multiple awards were possible depending on proposal quality and scope.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
Yes. The program required cost sharing or matching, so applicants needed to contribute non-federal resources as part of the overall project budget rather than relying entirely on federal funds.
What kinds of match contributions were expected?
Applicants were expected to contribute non-federal resources, which could include cash and/or eligible in-kind support, as part of the project budget.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants included state governments, county governments, city or township governments, and public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. Additional eligible applicants were also identified, including nonprofits and public transit agencies.
Does the eligibility language support partnerships?
Yes. The eligible applicant structure supports applications led by transit agencies and also partnerships where a university, nonprofit research organization, or local government collaborates with a transit operator to implement and study VAA systems.
What types of vehicles were targeted?
The opportunity focused on full-size public transit buses.
What types of technologies were in scope?
The notice focused on vehicle assist and automation (VAA) applications, including driver-assistance and automation capabilities that can be implemented on full-size buses and evaluated for measurable outcomes in day-to-day service. The provided summary does not list specific technologies.
What kinds of outcomes was FTA trying to measure?
Because the demonstrations were to occur in revenue service, the intent was to generate credible operational evidence about performance, benefits, and challenges. Typical outcomes such programs seek include improvements in safety, operational efficiency, service reliability, lane keeping or docking precision, reduced collisions or near-misses, smoother operations that improve passenger comfort, and potential reductions in maintenance or operating costs depending on the application.
What kinds of real-world deployment issues were expected to be addressed?
Revenue-service demonstrations tend to surface practical integration issues such as operator training, human factors and driver interaction with automation, maintenance and diagnostics needs, agency procedures, and the impacts of weather, roadway geometry, traffic, and stop spacing on system performance.
What program area or category did this funding fall under?
The opportunity was categorized under Transportation.
What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?
The opportunity was tied to CFDA number 20.514, Public Transportation Research.
Does the CFDA designation suggest the type of work expected?
Yes. CFDA 20.514 (Public Transportation Research) reflects an emphasis on applied research and demonstration rather than routine service expansion.
Was there an official document referenced for more details?
Yes. FTA provided an additional information link titled "VAA Demonstration RFP."
Who could applicants contact if they could not access the full announcement electronically?
Applicants were directed to contact Michael R. Baltes, ITS Program Manager, Federal Transit Administration, Office of Mobility Innovation, at (202) 366-2182, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE, Washington, DC 20590.
What does the contact point indicate about the program's focus?
The contact was an ITS Program Manager within FTA's Office of Mobility Innovation, suggesting the program aligned with FTA intelligent transportation systems (ITS) work and was intended to produce lessons learned that could inform future deployments and standards across the transit industry.
Is this opportunity primarily about purchasing technology?
No. The use of cooperative agreements and the emphasis on real-world demonstrations indicate the program was not just about buying equipment. It was also about structured demonstration, data collection, evaluation, reporting, and sharing results for broader industry benefit.
What is the overall summary of what this funding supported?
This opportunity funded cost-shared, federally coordinated demonstrations of bus automation and driver-assist technologies in real transit operations to produce evidence on benefits, implementation requirements, deployment challenges, and broader applicability for public transportation agencies.
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