The City of Orlando has revealed that a six-month autonomous shuttle pilot program has begun in partnership with the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority (LYNX) and Beep, a provider of autonomous shared mobility solutions.
The SWAN (Shuttling With Autonomous Navigation) Shuttle pilot will provide LYNX with data and the city with valuable lessons on how shared, electric and autonomous vehicles can enhance accessibility while also improving citizens’ quality of life and ensuring the city is future-ready and sustainable.
“The City of Orlando believes communities must be connected to thrive, and so we are always looking at new ways to embrace creative, innovative ways to do this,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “With the expansion of autonomous vehicle shuttles into our neighborhoods, we can converge cutting-edge technology with new mobility solutions to further redefine the way our community moves. The SWAN Shuttle builds on our diverse network of mobility options and furthers our commitment to our residents, our environment and our future.”
Beginning on August 20, 2023, users will have fare-free access to the SWAN Shuttle pilot seven days a week in the city’s Creative Village. The shuttles will serve a 1.6km route with five stops connecting LYNX Central Station and SunRail to UCF/Valencia Downtown, Luminary Green Park, Electronic Arts (EA) and Parramore and Creative Village.
Each of the shuttles will operate in the existing bus lane from 10am – 2pm and 6:30pm – 10:30pm. Beep’s national command center in Lake Nona will monitor the SWAN Shuttle pilot alongside its other project sites in the USA.
“We move thousands of customers each and every day,” said Tiffany Homler Hawkins, CEO of Lynx. “This partnership is an innovative way to test technology and understand how it will benefit our riders in a real-time setting that we believe will benefit the community for years to come.”
Beep CEO Joe Moye said, “We are proud to be part of a forward-thinking and innovative community committed to the investment in technology that will improve the quality of life for its residents and the livability of our city. Our partnership with the City of Orlando and LYNX provides the collaboration necessary to ensure autonomous vehicles are tested safely so that we can incorporate community feedback and prepare for the coming era of autonomous electric transportation, which will improve road safety, decrease carbon emissions and extend mobility to everyone.”
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