Traffic signal priority (TSP) granted by communications between connected vehicles and the infrastructure has the potential to increase the mobility and efficiency of designated vehicles. Connected Vehicle to Everything (C-V2X) hardware can enhance the travel of traditional vehicles by granting them access to new technologies such as TSP. Signal control algorithms can detect approaching vehicles and shift to green  phase to allow for the connected vehicles (CV) to pass through an intersection without stopping.  As part of a pilot study conducted in Alpharetta, Georgia, two Fulton County School System (FCSS) Buses, one diesel and one propane-powered, were equipped with CV technology. In addition, 62 signalized intersections along the school buses routes were equipped with CV-enabled roadside units to support providing TSP to the school bus as it approached each traffic signal. The objective of the pilot was to improve safety and mobility for school bus drivers and students and to reduce the total fuel consumed by school buses and FCSS fuel costs. The study collected data in 2022 for a month prior to deployment of the technology, and then another month while the CV technology was implemented. Data for the analysis was collected directly from the school buses and the FCSS data logger. 

The technology cost $5,000 per bus and $5,000 per intersection. The intersection technology and signal priority algorithms, once installed, could operate with many use cases, such as priority for transit or emergency vehicles.