Perrone Robotics has partnered with the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston Metro) as the awardee in provisioning autonomy for the "Houston Metro Shuttle of the Future.”
Perrone will be outfitting the Zeus 400, a mid-size body-on-chassis shuttle bus from Phoenix Motorcars. The Zeus 400 is compliant with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), buy America compliant, as well as compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This award is part of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM) grant, which was granted last year. The bus will provide autonomous shuttle service to Texas Southern University, Houston's Third Ward and the University of Houston.
Perrone is joined on this project by STV and Transcend Engineers & Planners. Both groups bring unique and substantial experience to the project. STV's 100-year design, planning history and forward-looking technology vision lies with the ability to provide operational based solutions that connect the public to opportunities. Transcend has extensive experience in Traffic & ITS systems, and how new technology interacts with established transit systems. These strong partners are critical in the success of the project and bringing roadworthy AV vehicles to the Texas roads.
"We believe that the industry needs more vehicles that are roadworthy and road ready" said Nicholas Pilipowskyj, vice president of business operations for Perrone. "Autonomous vehicles should be tested and held to the same standards as the ones we can buy off the lot. Having a vehicle that is safe and reliable, to supplement existing services, is key to having the public widely accept autonomous vehicles operating with them on public roads."
Perrone's vehicle agnostic TONY AV Kit is modular and facilitates rapid integration into existing vehicle platforms. This ability to outfit a pre-existing vehicle was a key point for the selection committee at Houston Metro.
"Houston Metro, an organization known for driving transit towards innovation while maintaining the highest level of safety, is a natural partner for us. The TONY AV kit's rapid integration capability, uniquely certifiable path to safety and cyber-security, combined with a rich history of proven and comprehensive autonomy, positions us for fleet level autonomous transit operations today." said Paul Perrone, founder and CEO of Perrone Robotics. "We are looking forward to this visionary deployment with Houston Metro in Texas and to providing safe and efficient mobility for all of Houston Metro’s partners and the Houston community."
