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SARTA showcases the new anti-collision bus technology coming soon to Stark County

September 12, 2025

Canton Repository

Sept. 10, 2025Updated Sept. 12, 2025, 2:35 p.m. ET

A $2 million federal grant is funding the collision avoidance technology for SARTA and two other Ohio transit agencies.
The system uses LIDAR, radar, and cameras to detect objects but requires a driver to be in control at all times.
SARTA plans to test the buses and train drivers extensively before deploying them on its Canton to Massillon route and Canton to Belden Village route.

CANTON ‒ The Stark Area Regional Transit Authority will have two smart buses on the road next year.

The agency is retrofitting the 35-foot buses with technology that includes lane detection and automatically braking when sensors detect a pedestrian, a person using a wheelchair, a vehicle, or any object in front of the bus.

A $2 million federal SMART grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation is covering the entire cost of the project, which involves installing collision avoidance technology from Perrone Robotics of Charlottesburg, Virginia.

SMART stands for Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation. The grant program is intended to help public transit agencies around the country improve transportation efficiency and safety.

Transportation officials hosted a demonstration on Sept. 9 to show off the technology in the parking lot of SARTA’s Gateway headquarters.

What is the TONY/MAX system?

The demonstration featured a retrofitted bus that will go to another grant recipient, Western Reserve Transit Authority in Youngstown.

“Today, we’re particularly excited to showcase the new TONY/MAX system, a state-of-art technology that integrates obstacle detection, lane keeping distance, automatic emergency braking and an adaptive cruise control on our buses,” SARTA interim CEO Ralph Lee said.

Shaz Umer, director of strategic initiatives for the U.S. Department of Transportation, said the technology uses laser pulses known as LIDAR or Light Detection and Ranging, advanced radar, cameras and sensors to alert bus drivers of dangerous situations. He said it’s similar to technology used in semi-autonomous vehicles.

“So what does this all mean?” said Umer. “It means that Canton will now have one of the safest buses in the world. …. I want to see this technology expand into every city in this country. The work we do now will not only safeguard Canton but serve as a model for this country.”

Perrone Robotics demonstrates bus technology

Nick Pilipowskyj, Perrone Robotics vice president of business operations, stressed that SARTA’s retrofitted buses use driver-assisted technology. But the equipment does not make any of SARTA’s buses self-driving or autonomous. A driver must always be in control, and the driver can always override the system.

HE drove the bus to the right and left and the tablet chimed to alert him that he was driving too far off the center of the lane.

A Perrone employee stepped in front of the slow-moving bus. The system automatically caused the bus to brake a few feet away to prevent a collision. The same happened when a wheelchair was placed in front of the bus.

SARTA estimates the system costs about $330,000 per vehicle.

Much of the hardware is housed in black casing on the right side of the bus at the front. Software updates take place automatically over Wi-Fi.

Pilipowskyj said the company has proprietary security measures in place to prevent a hacker from taking remote control of the anti-collision system.

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Retrofitted buses to hit road in 2026

Mark Finnicum, SARTA’s chief operations officer, said SARTA transported one of its buses fueled by compressed natural gas to Perrone Robotics’ facility. Perrone has been installing its equipment in the vehicle since May.

Finnicum expects that will be done by October. SARTA will then get the bus back and send a second CNG bus for about three months of retrofitting after that.

Finnicum said SARTA will then take months and probably into next year testing the first retrofitted bus and training drivers how to use the technology. SARTA plans to use the buses for its 102 route via Tuscarawas Street and Lincoln Way from Canton to Massillon, as well as its 105 route from downtown Canton to Belden Village.

Finnicum said SARTA will not deploy the retrofitted buses to the roads until they are thoroughly tested and drivers are trained.

Reach Robert at [email protected].

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