• Blue Bird Corp. is helping develop C-V2X technologies that can communicate with Audi vehicles around school buses and active school zones to help protect children
• Blue Bird and the Atlanta region’s Fulton County School System have joined the initial C-V2X deployment launched by Audi, Applied Information, and Temple, Inc., last year
• Schooltime transportation and pedestrian accidents account for an average of 25,000 injuries annually, which technology can help prevent
HERNDON, Va. – Blue Bird Corp., one of the largest school bus makers in the U.S., has joined a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Audi of America, Applied Information, and Temple, Inc., to deploy cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology aimed at helping reduce vehicle hazards that vulnerable school children face every year.
The Fulton County School System, located in the Greater Atlanta Metropolitan Area, has also joined the deployment, lending its expertise in school transportation and infrastructure. These new partners bring automotive and school bus technology expertise together with a large and experienced school bus fleet operation to maximize potential safety and driver support.
“The addition of Blue Bird and a large school district like Fulton County Schools completes the picture of all major players who are eager to unlock the benefits of emerging C-V2X technology for children too often exposed to danger during their school days,” said Brad Stertz, director, Government Affairs, Audi of America. “We expect this noteworthy project to show that C-V2X is an indispensable safety tool for educators nationwide.”
Audi believes C-V2X can provide significant safety benefits to alleviate traffic risks facing vulnerable road users. Children are among the most vulnerable and continue to be at great risk in school zones, especially when other vehicles are present and vehicles fail to yield for pedestrians. Additionally, stop-arm violations continue to be a danger to school children – when a driver speeds up or fails to stop when a school bus is flashing its red signal lights and extending its stop sign.
“This technology can help prevent accidents during student pickup and dropoff, which is when students are most at risk,” said Trevor Rudderham, SVP, product planning, Blue Bird Corporation. “While more stringent stop-arm laws and even camera systems help bring awareness to school buses, C-V2X could be programmed to warn drivers of upcoming school bus stops.”
C-V2X technologies use both direct (PC5) and indirect (Uu) low-latency cellular signals to communicate where people and vehicle sensors cannot always see, such as over hills or around curves or other vehicles. Last November, the Federal Communications Commission finalized guidelines for next-generation 5.9 GHz signals to be allocated for automotive-focused C-V2X communications, clearing the path to bring technologies to drivers across the U.S. in the next several years.
Initially announced last October and being co-developed at the Volkswagen Group Innovation and Engineering Center in Belmont, California, and the Infrastructure Automotive Technology Laboratory (iATL), this C-V2X technology is scheduled to be brought to the Fulton County School District in Georgia this spring using a Blue Bird propane-powered school bus and a 2021 Audi e-tron Sportback electric SUV.
“The Fulton County School District is excited about this opportunity to bring yet another technological innovation to the fourth-largest public school bus fleet in Georgia,” said Trey Stow, director, Transportation Services, Fulton County Schools. “We hope this test helps provide information that enhances safety for our students and community in the future and are excited to add partnerships with Audi and Applied Information to the long-term relationships we have had with the City of Alpharetta and Blue Bird.”
In addition to propane-fueled buses, Blue Bird is the only school bus maker in the U.S. that builds electric variants of all three school bus types – A, C, and D. By the end of 2021, Audi is expected to have the largest luxury portfolio of fully electric vehicles in the U.S., with the anticipation of 30% of its portfolio being electrified by 2025.
“It is with huge passion that we hope to use C-V2X technologies to help improve the safety of school zones for our children,” said Pom Malhotra, senior director, Connected Services, Audi of America. “With our partners, we aim to leverage C-V2X technologies to find viable applications and business models to fast-forward innovative technologies in Audi vehicles in the very near future and benefit all road users – especially those most vulnerable: school children.”
The goal of this deployment is to demonstrate technologies that could help prevent accidents both within school zones and when children are being picked up or dropped off at their bus stop. The first application from this program is designed to warn drivers when they are approaching an active school safety zone or are exceeding the speed limit when children are present via instrument displays and audio alerts.
When active, roadside units (RSU) installed in school zone safety beacons — flashing signs that are intended to slow drivers down as they pass by a school — will broadcast messages to development vehicles indicating the location of the school and the reduced speed limit. This initial deployment aims to alert drivers to the changes in speed limit as school times change due to circumstances, such as half school days and early dismissals for weather.
The second application aims to warn drivers when they are approaching a school bus stopped to pick up or drop off students. In this application, on-board units (OBU) are being developed to broadcast C-V2X safety messages from school buses to C-V2X-equipped vehicles when the bus stop arm is extended to indicate no passing is allowed. The project is expected to be completed in the first half of 2021.
“We are excited to have Blue Bird as a major component of this public/private partnership developing these potentially life-saving applications,” said Bryan Mulligan, president, Applied Information, Inc. “As the leading innovator in school bus safety and efficiency, Blue Bird will help make these safety applications standard practice in the industry.”
Through this program, partners look to gain insights into the distance needed around school zones and buses to ensure the safety of children in a continuing effort to lessen accidents and fatalities. According to the latest data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2018 saw nearly 6,300 pedestrian fatalities in the U.S. — the highest rate since 1990. Additional data shows on average approximately 131 children killed and approximately 25,000 injured each year walking to or from school.
A number of studies have also reported that stop-arm violations continue to be one of the greatest dangers to school children.
This program is in conjunction with iATL, which is based in Alpharetta, Georgia, and is one of the largest connected-vehicle testing facilities in the world, allowing for a wide array of public-private partnerships and technology development. It also benefits from carrying a license for PC5 direct wireless communication within 75 square miles of its facility. Temple, Inc., is lending its expertise of integration and management of the new technologies.
At Audi of America, we believe the Future is Electric. Our U.S. model lineup will be 30 percent electrified, including fully electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, by 2025, and globally we are committed to net CO2 neutrality by 2050. In 2020, Audi sold 186,620 vehicles in the U.S., and this year, we look forward to the next chapter in our journey to reinvent premium mobility with the arrivals of the fully electric Audi e-tron GT and Audi Q4 e-tron. Learn more about who we are and how we’re working to create a more electric, innovative, and inclusive future at audiusa.com or media.audiusa.com.
ABOUT BLUE BIRD
Blue Bird (NASDAQ: BLBD) is the leading independent designer and manufacturer of school buses, with more than 550,000 buses sold since its formation in 1927 and approximately 180,000 buses in operation today. Blue Bird’s longevity and reputation in the school bus industry have made it an iconic American brand. Blue Bird distinguishes itself from its principal competitors by its singular focus on the design, engineering, manufacture and sale of school buses and related parts. As the only manufacturer of chassis and body production specifically designed for school bus applications, Blue Bird is recognized as an industry leader for school bus innovation, safety, product quality/reliability/durability, operating costs, and drivability. Blue Bird has a rich history of bringing new technology to the school bus space and is the undisputed leader in alternative-power school buses, having more than 20,000 low and zero-emission buses on the road. Blue Bird manufactures school buses at two facilities in Fort Valley, Georgia. Its Micro Bird joint venture operates a manufacturing facility in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada. Service and after-market parts are distributed from Blue Bird’s parts distribution center located in Delaware, Ohio. For more information on Blue Bird’s complete line of buses, visit www.blue-bird.com.
ABOUT APPLIED INFORMATION
Applied Information is the industry-leading developer of Smart Cities, connected, and intelligent transportation system (ITS) solutions designed to save lives, improve traffic, drive commerce, and help the environment. Applied Information’s Glance Smart City Supervisory platform enables cities to manage all their traffic and ITS assets on one web-based application. Key product areas are smart traffic signals, school zone flashing beacons, emergency vehicle preemption, transit, and freight priority and ITS systems. AI’s free TravelSafely™ smartphone app connects drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, and the transportation infrastructure for a safer mobility experience. For more information, visit www.appinfoinc.com.
ABOUT TEMPLE
Temple, Inc., located in Decatur, Alabama, is a family-owned company that’s been serving the South for over 60 years. Throughout the years, the people of Temple, Inc. have worked to develop enduring relationships with City, County, and State agencies, utility departments, engineering firms, electrical services contractors, and vendor partners. A commitment to Integrity, outstanding Service, and Relationship endure as the guiding principles of our business. For more information, visit www.temple-inc.com.
