ISO 37181:2022

Overview

ISO 37181:2022 - "Smart community infrastructures - Smart transportation by autonomous vehicles on public roads" - defines the concept, goals and high-level guidelines for deploying autonomous vehicles (AVs) as an operational system on public roads. The standard focuses on safe, organized introduction of AVs to address urban challenges such as an aging population, diverse travel demands and congestion. It is the first edition (2022) and is intended to accelerate practical, safe use of AVs in city environments.

Key topics and technical focus

ISO 37181 covers technical and organizational aspects relevant to smart transportation by AVs, including:

• Concept and objectives: Improve first/last-mile connectivity, accessibility, congestion reduction, land-use efficiency and inclusive mobility.
• Operational deployment: Guidelines for AVs operating as an operational system on public roads (not limited to trials).
• Vehicle behaviour and safety: Definitions and expectations for basic automated driving behaviour and non-collision operation aligned with SAE J3016 (targeting SAE levels 4–5).
• Cybersecurity: Principles, framework and security requirements to protect vehicle systems and infrastructure.
• Data management: Types, formats and handling of vehicular data and data privacy protection requirements.
• Operational topics: Charging and recharging, vehicle maintenance, passenger services, ride comfort, weather/climate resilience, driving conditions, fleet management, emergency response and energy saving.
• Quality assurance & optimization: Parameters to observe for ongoing quality maintenance and guidance on long‑term optimization alongside technological improvement.
• Sustainability alignment: Consideration of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and smart city objectives.

Practical applications

ISO 37181 is practical for planning and operating smart transportation systems that use autonomous vehicles on public roads. Typical applications include:

• Public shuttle and feeder services for mass transit integration
• Automated delivery and municipal service fleets operating off-peak
• City planning projects that repurpose parking/road space and improve accessibility for elderly and disabled users
• Test-to-deployment pathways for validated AV services with documented safety, cybersecurity and data practices

Who should use this standard

This document is intended for:

• Autonomous vehicle developers and manufacturers
• Policy makers and public road administrators
• Road infrastructure and fleet operators
• Testing, inspection and certification bodies
• Academia and research institutions

Related standards

• Normative references include SAE J3016 and the Singapore TR 68 series (Parts 1–4) for behaviour, safety, cybersecurity and data formats.
• For on‑demand responsive shared passenger services, consult ISO 37168.
• ISO 37154 provides broader smart transportation guidance.

Keywords: ISO 37181, smart transportation, autonomous vehicles, public roads, AV safety, cybersecurity, fleet management, data privacy, Singapore TR 68, SAE J3016.