Electric Bus Simulators with Integrated Assessment Tools Improve Transit Workforce Development
Published on March 14, 2023
The federal government is going all-in on a battery-powered future for mass transit—but transit agencies themselves aren’t so sure. Last year Vice President Harris announced a collection of new federal initiatives to cut carbon emissions from buses and trucks. These initiatives include “$1.1 billion in new funding to help cities and states purchase electric buses … Continued
Using Simulation Training Technology to Embrace the “Safe System Approach”
Published on April 8, 2022
U.S. traffic fatalities have climbed throughout the pandemic, despite 30 years of steady declines. Early this year the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that in just the first nine months of 2021 traffic fatalities increased 12%. That’s the largest such jump in fatalities since 1975. In total, 31,720 people died in traffic accidents … Continued
Public Transport Simulation Training Technology for Situational Awareness
Published on February 18, 2022
Fights on the bus. Verbal harassment and assault. A bus window smashed with a hurled rock. These aren’t new problems, nor unique to Detroit and other major urban hubs. But the tight labor market and high-stress/high-stakes nature of operating public transit in a COVID context has helped the rest of the world sit up and … Continued
“Buying the Bus is the Easy Part” EV/ZEB Bus Driver Training Challenges
Published on January 28, 2022
Given the realities of climate change and energy production, we are moving to a ZEB (zero-emissions bus) world sooner than later and not looking back. As more agencies explore what it will take to transition their fleet, they’re beginning to appreciate that, as one European transit agency recently put it, “buying the [zero-emissions] bus is … Continued
EV Bus Driver Training to Combat “Range anxiety”
Published on August 20, 2021
It’s no wonder that coach companies and transit agencies are investing millions in new electric buses. In many regions, shifting to EV mass transit will be a game changer. And mass transit, with its emphasis on low-speed stop-and-go driving is perfect for EV buses relying on regenerative braking, turning that traditional fuel-waster into a valuable … Continued
Using CDL Simulators to Protect Truckers on the Road
Published on April 27, 2020
According to the latest reports from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, even as driving in the United States gets safer, CDL trucking continues to cost lives —especially among CDL operators themselves. Truck operator fatality rates are now at their highest level since 1988. According to the report, “There were 36,560 people killed in … Continued
Simulation-based Situational Awareness Training: Making City Streets Safer
Published on April 13, 2020
“There’s not too much that can win an argument with a streetcar”—but motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists keep picking that fight: (footage courtesy of the Australian Capitol Territory ) Driving is already a remarkably dangerous activity. It only gets worse on city streets, where so many vehicle types—private motor vehicles, bicycles, and mass transit—share congested … Continued
Using Your Bus Driving Simulator for Accident Reconstruction
Published on April 6, 2020
If your driving simulator allows for custom scenarios, you’ve probably used that function to reconstruct an accident. This is an excellent way to address an operator’s issues with laser-like accuracy and quickly get them back on their routes. But you can get even more bang for your buck if you take those reconstructions, and … Continued
Using Simulators to Defeat the Dreaded ” Dunning-Kruger Effect”
Published on March 23, 2020
Since it was first identified in 1999, the Dunning-Kruger effect has transformed how we talk about people who have no idea what they’re talking about. The “Dunning-Kruger effect” is an exceedingly common—and previously unnamed—psychological blindspot: The human tendency to vastly overestimate our abilities because we know very little about a field. (The title of … Continued
How Do CDL Driving Simulators Address Critical Issues in Trucking?
Published on March 9, 2020
Commercial trucking sits on the front lines of the global economy. When our economy is soaring, there’s more work than you can handle. But when it dips (or dives), truckers feel it first as shipments are delayed and ports close. For the last 15 years, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) has conducted an annual … Continued