University of Michigan’s Mcity testing new automated shuttle coming to Detroit

The City of Detroit, University of Michigan and May Mobility are partnering to introduce a new, self-driving shuttle to the city of Detroit.

The shuttle, which provides service to older adults (65+) and people with disabilities, is currently being tested through University of Michigan’s Mcity Test Facility program, the Mcity Safety Assessment Program.

In an interview with Mcity Director Henry Liu, he shares more about the program and the shuttle tests.

“This program has two parts. The first part is what we call a driver licensing test, similar to human driver’s test. In this case we have a set of scenarios. we test the vehicle’s basic competence, driving, the vehicle’s ability to make left turns with other vehicles, cross the intersection, whether the vehicle will be able to stop when a pedestrian is crossing the intersection; these are scenarios we know these vehicles will be experiencing when they are deployed into the real word.”

The second part of the testing program is the driving intelligence test, a simulated naturalistic driving environment where the vehicle will be tested on their reaction time, when placed in situations where they have to react to other drivers’ errors, wrong turns, crashes, etc. The shuttle’s ability to avoid an accident, will be compared to the driving habits of a human driver.

Liu says the purpose for the shuttle is to better service the community. He says that for those who are unable to drive themselves, being provided transportation will be beneficial, and being that the shuttle is automated, a wider range of people should be able to get access to the shuttle. Also, the shuttle is set to run on sensors and computers alone, allowing them to be able to run 24/7, without getting tired or making human errors.

May Mobility, Mcity and the city of Detroit are hoping that this technology can help reduce fatal traffic incidents and improve traffic safety.

Detroit City Council unanimously voted to approve a $2.4 million contract between the Office of Mobility Innovation and May Mobility in July, with plans to deploy the shuttle in June 2024.