Michigan State University has a new way for students, faculty, staff and visitors to get around campus for free while contributing to the future of mobility research.

The SpartanXpress, MSU’s autonomous and electric bus on campus, is ready for passengers with a fresh look, new route and research opportunities to explore.

Thanks to the university’s latest three-year partnership with Adastec, a software company that specialises in automated driving, the full-size, 21-seat bus travels an 8.2km loop around campus.

“With our real-life, four-season testing and validation environment here at MSU, these are exactly the types of valuable collaborations that bring a taste of the future to campus and give everyone access to the extensive mobility opportunities in our great state,” said Judd Herzer, director of MSU (msu.edu) mobility and innovation. “Having this bus on campus will have a strong impact on our mobility research as we gain access to loads of real-life testing data and give our students a unique opportunity they may not get elsewhere.”

As the SpartanXpress cruises around campus, it is equipped with lidar technology to monitor anything in its path, GNSS and cellular vehicle-to-everything, or C-V2X, technology that can alert the bus and its safety driver of dynamic road conditions during changing weather conditions.

“Every great transformation begins with a bold step,” said Ali Peker, CEO of Adastec (www.adastec.com). “What we are doing with Michigan State University is more than deploying an automated bus. This bus is a living laboratory that proves advanced technology can safely operate on open public roads, through every season, while delivering real value to students, researchers and the wider community. From this campus, we are not only carrying passengers, but we are also carrying the vision of a world where technology and society move forward together towards cleaner, smarter and more connected cities.”

Peker explained how the research done on MSU’s campus in adverse weather conditions translated to better technologies used around the world in Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands.

“This bus is more than a vehicle, it’s a living classroom, a community connector, and a model for how full-size SAE level-four automated driving can operate safely, inclusively and in harmony with daily life,” said Peker. “From snowy mornings to busy afternoons, it delivers real value to the people it serves while generating the insights that will drive cleaner, smarter and more connected cities worldwide, building on the global deployments and real-world operations we have already achieved.”

Matt Klawon of Aecom (aecom.com), an engineering company that formed the Automated Bus Consortium to support the development of automated bus projects across the USA, added: “The SpartanXpress is a great example of real-world deployment of autonomous vehicles. This is exactly what the Automated Bus Consortium is helping our partner transit agencies achieve.”

The bus will run Monday to Friday between 10:05 and 15:25. No pass is required for the SpartanXpress (engineering.msu.edu/news-events/news/2024/06/17/MSU-Mobility-announces-winner-of-autonomous-bus-naming-contest). Ridership is free and open to students, faculty, staff, campus visitors and community members.