First Transit had its autonomous shuttle running at the American Public Transportation Association’s EXPO. First Transit has four deployments, three that are already live, and Group Director of Innovation Sharad Agarwal said, “Autonomous is coming. And, sooner than everybody thinks.”
There are two major applications he said they see, including at airports, which is autonomous already, and shuttles in high-density areas. He said they anticipate as the regulations catch up with technology, it will next be utilized in low-speed fixed-route operations.
They’ve partnered with Easymile, which has been powering autonomous shuttles since 2008 and has transported more than 1,500,000 passengers so far.
Earlier this year First Transit announced its launch of two autonomous shuttles for the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau in Arlington, Texas. It connects the fans to the stadiums of the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Cowboys and the surrounding parking lots.
The fourth deployment is going to be in Minnesota; the Minnesota Department of Transportation wants to test the shuttle for three or four months in the winter and then intend on having a demonstration at the Super Bowl in February.
