Local News

Self-Driving Shuttles Hitting the Streets of Frisco as a Texas First

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Tony Maples Photography

 

On Monday, May 7, the self-driving car company Drive.ai (based out of California) announced that it will be launching its first pilot project (ironic, as these will be basically pilot-less vehicles) of self-driving shuttles in Frisco, Texas. The vehicles will be powered by Artificial Intelligence (hence the dot-A.I. in the company’s name). The City of Frisco has agreed to be the testing grounds for the project this summer.

The six-month program will make history as the first time such a service will be offered in Texas, and, should all go well, the A.I. shuttle service will expand. For now, the launch is anticipated for July 2018. A part of the Drive.ai plan is to shuttle over 10 thousand individuals in these fully autonomous vehicles which will be bright orange in color, well branded (for visibility), and equipped with four external screens which will communicate to its driving counterparts and to pedestrians what the vehicle’s intended actions will be.

Passenger Entering a Drive.ai car

Photo: www.drive.ai

“Self-driving cars are here and can improve the way we live right now,” explained Sameep Tandon, co-founder, and CEO of Drive.ai. He has stated that his company’s technology is “…safe, smart, and adaptive.” He also asserted that working with the Frisco Transportation Management Association (TMA) and the City of Frisco on the driver-less shuttles is a project that “…will take people to the places they want to go and transform the way they experience transportation.”