Detroit plans to launch autonomous shuttle pilot this summer
The free service will allow members of the public to ride across town in electric vans outfitted with self-driving technology.
A map of the roughly 10.8-mile route for the city of Detroit's "Connect" autonomous shuttle service.
The City of Detroit announced this week that it will launch an autonomous shuttle route later this year. The free, self-driving service will carry riders along a nearly 11-mile path — spanning from Corktown, through downtown and along the East Riverfront.
$1.5 million in funding has been secured for the program’s first year of operation. That money is coming from the state’s Office of Future Mobility, Bedrock and Michigan Central.
Tim Slusser, chief of mobility innovation for the city of Detroit, says more planning work is still needed before the pilot launches. For example, project leaders still need to figure out where shuttle stops will be placed along the route.
“We’re going to be looking to do a community engagement event approximately about a month before we launch the service,” he said. “We’ll be introducing the public to the vehicles at that time — introducing them to all aspects of the service.”
Listen: Detroit’s Chief of Mobility Innovation discusses plans for the city’s autonomous shuttle.
Slusser says the service will make use of four battery-powered Ford E-Transit vans outfitted with autonomous capability. The city has selected Perrone Robotics as the private vendor that will operate them.
Each of the shuttles will have a safety operator onboard at all times, who will be able to drive the vehicle manually if the autonomous sensors encounter a problem. Slusser says that will guarantee a safe ride for passengers, regardless of the weather conditions.
“When it snows here in Detroit, we’ll be able to actually have those safety operators just take over,” Slusser said. “And if the autonomous technology is not able to drive, because the camera systems and all the technology can’t identify the roadway, no problem.”
Slusser says allowing members of the public to use the high-tech shuttles for free will help the city gauge public interest in the technology. He says autonomy could factor into how the city of Detroit thinks about public transit in the future.
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