Preparing for the Deployment of a Self-Driving Shuttle in Buffalo, NY: Safety Management Plan and Deployment Route Risk Assessment

Buffalo, New York (NY) is one of four sites selected for the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Complete Trip—ITS4US Deployment Program, a program that seeks to deploy and integrate innovative technologies to improve travelers’ mobility and accessibility, with a focus on currently underserved populations. Among the technologies which the Buffalo initiative, entitled the Buffalo All Access project, will be deploying is a self-driving shuttle (SDS), serving as a part of a community shuttle (CS) system connecting the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) to its adjacent neighborhoods. This paper will describe two key aspects of the planning process for the deployment of the SDS: 1) the development of the safety management plan (SMP) and 2) the risk assessment of the SDS deployment route. The SMP identified the potential hazards and safety needs associated with the SDS deployment, assessed their risk, and developed strategies and countermeasures to manage their risk. To do this, the study adopted the International Organization for Standards (ISO)’s standard ISO 26262, entitled “Road vehicles—2–Functional safety,” and adjusted the method to fit the purposes and needs of the Buffalo All Access project. Following the development of the SMP, the study performed a detailed route risk assessment that focused on the SDS deployment route of the SDS. The risk assessment process resulted in categorizing the route segments into five categories, each category having a similar risk level and site characteristics. The study also provided several recommendations aimed at reducing the risk of the SDS deployment and operations.