Mission

AV America and Global Mass Transit are organizing the eighth edition of the conference on Autonomous Vehicles and Public Transport on January 27-28, 2027 at San Francisco Bay Area.

The conference, now in its eighth edition, is continuing its role as the leading executive forum for the integration of autonomy into transit systems. What began as a forward-looking dialogue on future mobility has evolved into a strategic platform for cities, transit agencies, and industry leaders to move from pilots to scalable deployment.

The mission of the 2027 edition is to discuss recent developments, emerging trends, progress in the deployment of autonomous vehicles for public transit, policy framework, best practices to integrate AVs and public transport, potential use cases of AVs in public transport, strategies for the deployment of AVs to support transit operations, infrastructure required to deploy AVs, and labor force transformation. The conference will showcase case studies, pilot projects, and new and existing technologies for AVs. 

The conference will bring together experts from the transit agencies; federal, state, and local governments; metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs); transit operators; AV manufacturers, vehicle technology system suppliers, developers and integrators; bus manufacturers; R&D institutes; academic institutions; and not-for-profits to discuss developments and issues in policy, planning, funding, technology, market development, testing, and deployment of AVs.

Key topics to be discussed

• Policies, guidelines, and regulations driving the development of AVs
• AVs in public transit and the future of mobility
• Role of transit agencies/operators in the connected autonomous mobility future
• Autonomous buses and shuttles: deployment experiences and lessons learned
• OEM and operator perspectives – Scaling shuttles, robotaxis, and fleet electrification
• AI, deep learning, and autonomous driving software stacks
• Sensor fusion: LiDAR, RADAR, cameras, and INS systems
• Cloud computing and edge AI for AV coordination
• ADAS systems for safety and route optimisation
• Digital infrastructure needs: V2X, V2I, V2V communication systems
• 5G/6G readiness and network reliability for autonomous operations
• Digital twins for simulation, modeling, and real-time system optimisation
• Charging and energy supply infrastructure for autonomous bus and shuttle fleets
• Safety and cybersecurity in AV public transport
• Automating bus yards (ABY)
• Public acceptance, passenger trust, and accessibility considerations
• The future of shared, on-demand, and last-mile mobility using AVs
• Transit agency activities for labor force transformation

Highlights from 2026 edition

DAYS TO GO

When

January 27-28, 2027
San Francisco Bay Area

Planner Details