Challenge

Use large-scale mobile-phone data on travel to design a long-distance network of self-driving bus service in the Southeast US.  Pitch your proposed network for inclusion in the federal transportation funding bill.  

Prizes

Winning team receives $3,000 prize + travel funds for a multi-university competition in Knoxville

Cash prizes for runners up

Problem Statement

In the United States, only 2% of passenger car trips are 50 miles or longer, but these trips comprise over 23% of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by passenger vehicles (Erhardt 2012).  In addition, Americans travel approximately 380 billion miles on domestic flights annually (Bureau of Transportation Statistics).  Many Americans, especially in rural areas, have poor access to airports, short-haul flights can be inefficient in both cost and fuel standpoint, and many Americans cannot or prefer not to drive long distances.  There remains a potential market for an alternative.  

Rail is one option, and international experience shows a high share of rail travel for distances between 100 and 500 miles (Preseton 2013).  However, in the US, time-competitive long-distance passenger rail service is limited outside the Northeast Corridor, and the cost of constructing new high-speed rail infrastructure is high.  For example, the 2024 California High Speed Rail Business Plan estimates it would cost between $89 and $128 billion to connect San Francisco to Los Angeles with high-speed rail.  

Because the US has already invested in the interstate highway system, long-distance buses offer the potential for large efficiency benefits relative to other modes (Boysan 2025).  It also offers the potential for a more flexible and resilient system that can adapt to changes in demand or other conditions.  Long-distance bus travel has long been limited by constraints on how long drivers can safely operate a bus, and the associated scheduling and cost constraints.  However, not only are self-driving cars now operating in parts of the US, the technology is being developed for self-driving buses that could reduce both the cost and scheduling constraints of long-distance bus travel.  

In this hypothetical scenario, a consortium of consumer organizations and industry groups seeks proposals for a self-driving long-distance bus network in the Southeast.  The consortium has developed relationships with the regional congressional delegations and plans to advocate for the winning proposal in the next federal surface transportation bill (the current bill is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2026).  Teams are invited to submit proposals by February 28, 2026.  

Proposing teams should prepare a 15-20 minute pitch and an associate fact sheet detailing their plans.  The proposal must include: 

• A map of the planned routes with an summary of expected frequencies, 

• A budget request both for capital (including buying self-driving buses) and operating expenses, 

• A recommendation for a operating and regulatory framework to be included in the legislation (Who operates the system, collects fares and pays expenses? What rules are necessary to allow for operations and to ensure safety?), 

• A data-driven assessment of the expected passenger market, focusing on trips at least 50 miles long, and 

• Any other content the team feels would be necessary or helpful for securing the proposal’s inclusion in the bill.  

Successful teams are expected to draw from interdisciplinary perspectives, which may include expertise in transportation planning, civil engineering, autonomous systems, data science, marketing and public policy.  A panel of topic area experts will judge the proposals, with the winning team receiving a $3,000 award and a free trip to Knoxville, TN compete against other universities.  Cash prizes are also available for the runners up.  

Important Dates

Kick-off and Informational Meeting: Thursday, December 11, 2025, 12:30 pm

Mid-Competition Review & Work Session: Saturday, January 31, 2026

Competition Finale, Saturday, February 28, 2026

Multi-University Competition for Winners, Monday, April 13, 2026, Knoxville, TN

Data Resources

NextGen National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) National Origin-Destination Data: https://nhts.ornl.gov/od/ 

Intercity Bus Atlas: https://www.bts.gov/intercity-busing/data-maps-and-apps

Self-Driving Bus Cost Sheet: To be provided at competition kick-off

US Vehicle Miles Traveled: https://www.bts.gov/content/us-vehicle-miles 

Background Reading

The Case for Intercity Buses: https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/flixbus-boysan-the-case-for-intercity-buses/745976/ 

Edinburgh to Get World’s First Self-Driving Bus: https://www.digit.fyi/edinburgh-to-get-worlds-first-self-driving-bus/ 

Air2Rail: Reducing CO2 from intra-European aviation by a modal shift from air to rail: https://ariebleijenberg.nl/wp-content/uploads/Air2Rail-Koios-strategy-final.pdf 

California High Speed Rail 2024 Business Plan: https://hsr.ca.gov/about/high-speed-rail-business-plans/2024-business-plan/ 

The Economics of Investment in High Speed Rail: https://doi.org/10.1787/9789282107751-en