Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous vehicles are a key interest for many cities, and for good reason. Most cars spend most of the day parked.

Cars that drive themselves could provide the point-to-point service commuters crave while reducing the impact on a city’s transportation infrastructure. Aside from the space needed to store the cars, some studies have found that drivers searching for parking have slowed other traffic by as much as 30% or more.

While autonomous vehicles may not be quite ready for individual ownership and use, enterprising cities are using the technology as one component of their overall transportation system.

One of the pioneers is Las Vegas, which shuttled 30,000 passengers during a one-year trial in its downtown innovation zone. The service was a hit with tourists and convention attendees, earning an almost perfect 4.9 out of 5 average score with riders.

The city, though, is now turning its attention to using the technology to improve access to medical care. A project called Go Med will use autonomous shuttles to move patients between a major transit center and the city’s medical district.

The project is still in the planning phase — the first shuttles may hit the streets in two years — although it has already attracted at $5.3 million investment from the U.S. Department of Transportation. One key to Las Vegas’s success is its investment in partnerships. Partnerships with entities like the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada have helped it accelerate work and expand its offerings.

“Working in unison is always preferable to operating in a vacuum, and having multiple public entities undertake projects of benefit to all formed connections that previously didn’t exist,” said Don Jacobson, IT business partner for innovation for Las Vegas. “Bringing representatives of local public agencies together to share their separate challenges and goals provided insight into where collaboration was not only possible, but also necessary.”

Another key element of this early work involves having fixed routes and clear purposes. Autonomous vehicles are getting better every day, but they still have limits. Understanding the limits of the technology, and working within them, makes it easier to assure success.