Staff Reports
Cummins Inc. is partnering with Purdue University and Energy Systems Network on a four-month project to evaluate an on-demand transit solution.
The pilot, which begins Monday, is called Leaper X, and includes a web-based mobile application powered by Cummins, and a small trial fleet of designated campus shuttles in addition to Purdue’s traditional campus buses.
Using the app, individuals can self-select how, when, and where they use Purdue’s campus transportation services. Cummins, Purdue and ESN believe this solution can improve mobility for students, faculty and staff.
“Cummins is using IoT (Internet-of-Things) and advanced analytics to transform experiences and deliver the right solutions at the right time for our customers,” said Tom Linebarger, chairman and chief executive officer at Cummins. “Purdue and ESN share Cummins’ passion for research and technological innovation, and we are pleased to work together on this project.”
The piloting of the Leaper X platform helps advance what a recent ESN report — Emerging Mobility Technologies and Trends — says will be a new “Mobility-as-a-System” landscape, whereby different modes, providers, and usage models are synthesized to improve travel.
The pilot initiative will allow Cummins to test connected technologies and gather data. The insights collected from the Leaper X program will help validate hypotheses for business and academic purposes, and assess the impact that smart technologies can have on reducing travel time, boosting availability of transportation services, expanding coverage, and streamlining commuting for multimode transit solutions.
Select destinations on Purdue’s West Lafayette campus will allow commuters to initiate and manage transportation preferences using the Leaper X app. Once a ride is requested through the app and routed to a free Leaper X shuttle, users will be picked and dropped off within minutes. In addition to on-demand ride requests, users can view traditional campus bus routes, enabling riders to compare options and make informed, real-time decisions on the best way to travel based on a range of information including wait times, vehicle or destination proximity, and more.
The project is led by Cummins’ Digital Accelerator, which functions as the company’s own tech startup, with strategic access to Fortune 150 resources and talents. Through the conception, build and launch of digital solutions, the Digital Accelerator team leverages open architecture, connectivity, big data, advanced analytics, Internet-of-Things, artificial intelligence, machine learning, edge computing and more, to drive the company forward on its journey towards smart technologies.
