[msb-alumni] Grand Rapids Experiments with Driverless Shuttles
- From: Steve <pipeguy920@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <msb-alumni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 1 Feb 2021 16:57:35 -0500
BlankI didn't know GR had these little guys running around their downtown area.
Steve
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Grand Rapids experiment with driverless shuttles might
continue into
2022 with new features, including on-demand pick-ups. Grand Rapids officials
said Tuesday,
Jan. 26, that Ann Arbor-based May Mobility is developing a proposal to continue
its
autonomous shuttle pilot with the city for a second year. The service launched
as a one-year
pilot in July 2019 as a way to assess the barriers and benefits of implementing
self-driving
shuttle services in the city. It was halted in March 2020 due to the pandemic
but later
relaunched in August 2020 with sanitation measures like ultraviolet light
treatments and
disinfectant foggers . Accounting for the service gap, the pilot was slated to
conclude this
month. On Tuesday, however, city elected leaders gave initial approval for May
Mobility to
extend the pilot, at no cost to the city, through April 30 while the company
works out its
proposal for a second year of autonomous travel on Grand Rapids streets. Final
approval of
the extension is expected to happen at the commissions 7 p.m. meeting Tuesday
via a sweeping
consent agenda vote. The pilot extension will give May Mobility time to work
out a
second-year pilot proposal, present it to city leaders for approval and have it
implemented
without having to stop and start services, which would result in additional
costs. May
Mobility officials did not immediately return MLive calls seeking comment.
According to city
staff, May Mobility is devising a proposal for a second-year leg of the pilot
program that
includes on-demand pick-ups and drop-offs for riders. If implemented, riders
would be able
to call May Mobility or use a smartphone app to request a pick-up at the
intersection of
their choice within the service area. Then, riders can choose what intersection
within the
service theyd like to be dropped off at. There are eight shuttles, which have a
top speed of
25 mph, in service in Grand Rapids. The rides are free. Related: How driverless
are Grand
Rapids autonomous shuttles? Currently, the autonomous vehicles pick up and drop
off riders
at the stops along the citys existing DASH West bus route, which is 3.2 miles
long and takes
passengers around downtown. It has stops near more than 10 parking lots, as
well as the
David D. Hunting YMCA, Kendall College of Art & Design, Grand Rapids Childrens
Museum, Van
Andel Arena and Bridge Street Market. City staff did not state whether the
service area
might be expanded beyond the Dash West route for the potential second-year
phase. They did
say that May Mobility would focus their operating area to connecting West Side
neighborhoods
and business areas with Monroe Center. Monthly ridership has dropped
dramatically since the
pandemic took hold in March, and the cost of operations per ride has increased
with it.
Since the pilot began, ridership numbers have hovered around 7,000 to 11,000
riders a month,
with an operations cost-per-ride of about $5 to $7, according to Grand Rapids
data. In
January 2020, monthly ridership peaked at about 10,500 riders at a
cost-per-ride of about
$5. After services resumed in late August, ridership has hovered around 2,000
riders each
month, and the operations cost-per-ride between $22 and $27. Pandemic-related
passenger
restrictions and the removal of a fifth passenger seat to accommodate for a
driver-passenger
partition likely played into the decreased ridership numbers. When it
relaunched in August,
passengers were no longer able to ride with strangers. Instead, they must
either ride alone
or with members of their household or party. While overall ridership has
decreased and cost
per rider has increased during the pandemic due to changes in mobility needs as
well as the
new capacity limits, public feedback on the program continues to be positive as
riders have
enjoyed a more private experience, Justin Kimura, assistant director of Mobile
GR, said.
Grand Rapids officials say May Mobility used the downtime during the pandemic
service
suspension to fine-tune the autonomous technology, resulting in less reliance
on the field
attendant who sits in the drivers seat and can take the wheel when needed. The
ongoing pilot
has a price tag of $650,000. Grand Rapids paid $250,000 of that, and private
sector partners
and May Mobility picking up the rest. Regular shuttle service hours are 7 a.m.
to 7 p.m.
Monday through Friday.
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