AFTS-Automated Flexible Transportation System: a new concept for urban mass transportation

This paper deals with the concept of an automated flexible transportation system (AFTS) for urban mass transportation composed of transit 'bus or van platoons that, using dedicated lanes in public avenues common in large metropolitan areas, may improve positively the urban transportation network, increasing passenger capacity and reducing the vehicles' headway when compared with conventional systems. To achieve this purpose, an automatic guidance control housed inside the vehicles, in the absence of any driver's interference in the automated lane sections, will be interacting with a wide range of vehicle and ground lane sensors, communicating with the dedicated central system computer cluster, being able to increase significantly the overall average speed and reduce dramatically the distance between vehicles in the platoon formation, having pre-programmed stop stations located on central aisles. A feasibility study of the conceptual system was performed assessing the cost-benefit ratio of the proposed system. Finally, the paper shows some simulation results using preliminary adaptive controller scheme, simplified platoon dynamic model and the available field data information to evaluate overall system.