Connected Autonomous Shuttle Supporting Innovation (CASSI) Program Development
archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified
Get this paper ↗ (full text — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)
Summary
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) developed the Connected Autonomous Shuttle Supporting Innovation (CASSI) program to research, test, and evaluate automated vehicles (AVs) for public transportation. Launched in 2019 under the Integrated Mobility Division, the program aims to assess the safety, reliability, and accessibility of AV technology in real-world settings, engage the public, and ensure state readiness for future mobility innovations. The initiative focuses on using automated shuttles as first- and last-mile solutions and testing connected vehicle features. From 2020 to 2023, CASSI conducted multi-week pilots at four locations: N.C. State University’s Centennial Campus, the Wright Brothers National Memorial, Cary’s Bond Park, and UNC Charlotte. The program tested two models of all-electric, low-speed automated shuttles: the EasyMile EZ10 Gen 3 and the Navya Autonom. These vehicles operate at "conditional driving automation" levels, requiring an onboard human attendant for safety fallback and customer service. Because the shuttles do not conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), they required NHTSA exemptions to operate on public roads at a maximum speed of 12 mph. Funding was secured through a 50/50 cost-share model between NCDOT and partnering communities, covering lease, operation, and attendant training, while partners handled site-specific infrastructure costs. The findings indicate that current automated shuttle technology is not mature enough for mainstream scaling. Operational performance was limited by conservative driving algorithms; shuttles frequently stopped suddenly upon detecting obstacles, requiring manual intervention by attendants. This resulted in slower speeds and service interruptions due to technology issues, battery insufficiency, and inclement weather. The shuttles also lacked universal design features, such as automatic wheelchair ramps, limiting accessibility. Ridership analysis revealed that automated shuttles generated new trips and replaced personal vehicle usage only in areas lacking existing transit options, such as the Wright Brothers National Memorial and Bond Park. Conversely, at UNC Charlotte, where conventional transit was available, the shuttle offered no time or connectivity benefits. The report concludes that while automated shuttles show promise for filling gaps in mobility networks, they currently underperform compared to conventional transit in mixed-traffic environments. NCDOT recommends that future deployments consider dedicated lanes to reduce conflicts and improve efficiency. The program emphasizes the critical importance of public engagement and feedback in shaping technology development. Moving forward, CASSI plans to explore connectivity and automation in conventional vehicles, such as full-size buses and vans, with a specific focus on serving transportation-disadvantaged and rural populations.
Key finding
Current generation automated shuttle technology is not mature enough for mainstream scaling, requiring onboard human attendants for safety and exhibiting operational limitations such as slow speeds and frequent service interruptions compared to conventional transit.
Methodology
field_study
Provenance
The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).
| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | rosap | — | — | 2 | 2026-05-23 |
| archive | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| clean | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| chunk | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| embed | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-02 |
| enrich | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 3 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 19 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
Topics
Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.