COLUMBUS – Your eyes will not be deceiving you. Self-driving shuttles will be tooling around the streets of downtown Columbus this week as part of a project to test the vehicles’ on city roadways and in various weather conditions before taking on passengers later in the year.
The shuttles are part of the Smart Columbus plan, which won a $40 million U.S. Department of Transportation challenge in 2016 to integrate transportation technologies such as self-driving and connected vehicles and smart road sensors into its infrastructure.
The low-speed shuttles, operated by the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based startup May Mobility, will travel around the Scioto Mile loop downtown without passengers starting this week while the route is tested and mapped, according to officials with Smart Columbus and DriveOhio, the state transportation department’s smart transportation program.
Passengers can begin riding the shuttles in December when the shuttles will travel among attractions along the riverfront, such as COSI, Bicentennial Park and the new National Veterans Memorial and Museum.
The electric shuttles are equipped with sensors and intelligent software though an operator will oversee the operation of each vehicle and will be able to take control of the shuttle at any time if necessary.
The vehicles sport a panoramic glass roof and a 49-inch digital display that provides system and route information.
The program is intended to evaluate the abilities of the technology to operate on public roadways in all weather conditions while exposing residents and visitors to the experience of riding on the shuttles.