On Tuesday, Sept. 15, US Ignite announced the launch of the Mountain Express Automated Shuttle at Fort Carson, Colorado, a United States Army installation.

An electric vehicle capable of performing all driving functions independently under certain conditions, the Mountain Express will provide passenger service on the post as part of a yearlong effort to test automated vehicle technologies and collect data for future transportation modeling on smart military installations across the country.

“We are excited to debut the Mountain Express shuttle service and see it as an opportunity to extend research on automated vehicles in ways that will benefit both military installations and smart communities pursuing advanced transportation solutions,” says Eric Werner, director of Autonomous Vehicle Programs at US Ignite.

“This project has already progressed rapidly, and we look forward to further developments and research insights now that the shuttle has entered an operational stage.”

In 2019, Fort Carson launched a Smart Transportation Testbed project. US Ignite, a nonprofit, runs the $4 million project, which includes the Mountain Express shuttle. The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) provides funding and management for the project.

The vehicle itself is a Polaris GEM automated shuttle custom-configured by Perrone Robotics using the company’s TO Navigate You (TONY) autonomy kit. Partner company First Transit is in charge of shuttle service operations at Fort Carson.

The Mountain Express began running a three-mile route every weeknight this week at Fort Carson from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. For safety purposes, the vehicle has an operator on board at all times with the ability to take over manual controls.

To prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, additional safety measures are in place, including a clear barrier installed between rows of seats in the shuttle, and the completion of a full cleaning wipe-down after each shuttle loop. All passengers are required to wear face coverings.