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Introducing the all new ROBO-DILLO!


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Autonomous shuttles will be driving in downtown Austin this fall

It may not be the ’Dillo shuttle many Austinites remember, but a new downtown circulator operated by autonomous vehicles will launch this fall in Austin.

The autonomous, or self-driving, shuttles are part of a new technology-infused approach to transit that Capital Metro has been exploring in the past couple of years.

“We just really want to start connecting the community closer together through technology and the services Capital Metro provides,” President and CEO Randy Clarke said.

Capital Metro will operate the pilot shuttle program, which has yet to be named, for 12 months, and rides will be free during that period. The agency will also be seeking bids from autonomous vehicle manufacturers to lease six vehicles for the program.

The 15-passenger shuttles, which will be accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, will travel throughout downtown every 5 to 7 minutes on a route that has not yet been determined. However, the shuttle will serve major destinations, such as Austin City Hall, the new Central Library, Republic Square and the downtown MetroRail station, according to Capital Metro.

“We think we could connect that whole east-west downtown connectivity piece that we know could be a little better than today,” Clarke said.

Even though the shuttles will operate autonomously, an operator will be on board to assist customers and be on hand for any safety or security issues.

Testing of the autonomous system will begin in July and take 60 days. The first phase will involve testing the technology without passengers on board and include assessing the battery life, how the vehicles dock to let passengers on and off, and safety concerns. The second phase would involve passengers on board, officials said.

“This is not only a transportation project, but this is a tech project as well,” said Elaine Timbes, deputy chief operating officer of Capital Metro. “While it’s a proven tech, we still have some proving to do in the city of Austin.”

In 2017, Capital Metro and RATP Dev, one of its service providers, hosted a demonstration of autonomous vehicles at The University of Texas during the South by Southwest Conferences and Festivals. Autonomous shuttles are also a part of other innovative mobility solutions the agency will explore under its Connections 2025 service plan adopted last year.

“[Autonomous vehicles are] kind of in this migration period right now between fully autonomous in the future and the vehicle kind of learning,” Clarke said. “We think it’s going to be safe and efficient, and it’s spread out from a capacity and frequency point of view.”

 

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3 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

So instead of paying a bus driver to drive a bus, we are getting more expensive self driving busses and paying someone to ride in them?

It’s still a bus and a person, but now we are letting a computer algorithm drive instead. What’s the benefit?  What’s the point?

This is Austin.  Having a driverless vehicle is the only way to avoid having the driver rape you.

Ann Kitchen told me so.

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49 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

So instead of paying a bus driver to drive a bus, we are getting more expensive self driving busses and paying someone to ride in them?

It’s still a bus and a person, but now we are letting a computer algorithm drive instead. What’s the benefit?  What’s the point?

i think right now you have somebody aboard, but eventually you do away with the need for that person. like the article said, these things are in a "migration period". people feel better if there is an actual person on board until autonomous vehicles are more heavily infused in our lives.

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There's no way the guy being paid to monitor once of those things is paying attention at all.  Either day dreaming, chatting up the passengers or texting.  At least they'll have someone handy to fill out the accident report.  I'm sure after a bit of a learning curve, they'll be fine.

I can't wait for SF to get these so the legions of bums will have better places to shit and sleep.

 

Edited by Lhorn
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So a specified number of buses will be overpaid for, that can carry a number of people inconsequential to Austin traffic patterns, which will travel undecided/unspecified routes, built by a yet to be determined bidder and ready for paying customers on an undecided timeline.   About sum it up? 

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There’s only 2 7-11s downtown, both on Congress. Probably only include the one on th or route. So 4 times per shift sounds about right.


I guess depending on how restrictive your definition of downtown is, but Lamar@~9th, 15th and San Antonio.

I’m hoping a couple of these get creamed by people running red lights downtown and we have a crackdown on that.
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41 minutes ago, Horn_Spanker said:

Does that train still run to the convention center, where nobody works?

yep, and if you live up north and decide to ride it to a conference you have to attend at the convention center, you should know that it stops running super early during the week and you will have to Uber home if you take a customer to dinner. 

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2 hours ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

yep, and if you live up north and decide to ride it to a conference you have to attend at the convention center, you should know that it stops running super early during the week and you will have to Uber home if you take a customer to dinner. 

I was thinking "Surely, Pescado is exaggerating."

Nope. Last train northbound M-TH is at 6:43.

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On ‎6‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 6:21 AM, Trey3216 said:

So a specified number of buses will be overpaid for, that can carry a number of people inconsequential to Austin traffic patterns, which will travel undecided/unspecified routes, built by a yet to be determined bidder and ready for paying customers on an undecided timeline.   About sum it up? 

We've put men on the moon. We're America. We created Honey Boo-Boo and the Kardashians. Doing the impossible and making millionaires is just what we do.

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