Effectiveness of automated connected shuttles (ACS) during COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic had significantly impacted the public transit system in most cities across the world. Factors including physical distancing, remote working, distance education, and COVID-risk perception due to exposure have contributed to reducing public transport ridership. Automated Connected shuttles (ACS) services can be an effective alternative to regular buses with substantially reduced break-out risks and efficient operations. Our goal is to assess the mobility and energy impacts of ACS deployments when deployed as a replacement of standard (human-driven) buses within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic accounting for adjustment in passenger demand and capacity. To accomplish this purpose, we used a traffic microsimulation tool---PTV VISSIM---to simulate the behavior of buses and ACS units. We designed and simulated hypothetical scenarios in a New York City, NY, network. The scenarios are designed based on different COVID-19 restrictions, and the performances are compared to measure ACS effectiveness over regular buses. The results showed that ACS units are more effective than regular buses when they operate at business-as-usual capacity. Further, ACS services are more energy-efficient during physical distancing restrictions than bus services based on the emissions and energy estimates using the EPA-MOVES tool.