An autonomous shuttle project in North Carolina is demonstrating the possibilities for connecting the small vehicles with transit stations, and serving dense communities like a university campus.
The project is a partnership among UNC, autonomous shuttle provider Beep and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) as part of the state’s Connected Autonomous Shuttle Supporting Innovation (CASSI) program.
“We think campuses of any kind, but universities … in particular, are a great use case,” said Simon West, chief experience officer at Beep, the AV shuttle provider for a new 2.2-mile autonomous shuttle project in Charlotte, N.C., serving the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte).
Autonomous shuttles have been deployed on campuses in California, Arizona, Michigan and other states.
The shuttles will make six stops along the 2.2-mile route, with one of those being a light-rail station, allowing NCDOT and the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) to collect data related to how the shuttles serve public transit as a first-mile, last-mile connector.
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