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Small, electric, autonomous shuttle fleets are picking up speed and popularity, playing an increasingly larger role in public transit around the nation.

A new project in Detroit deploying four autonomous shuttles is modeled as a new transit service, with complete real-time vehicle tracking and stops that connect to the Detroit Department of Transportation bus system.

β€œThe primary focus is, it must feel like transit. It must operate like transit,” said Tim Slusser, chief of mobility innovation for the city of Detroit, discussing The Connect, a new 10.8-mile autonomous vehicle (AV) shuttle service. Now wrapping its first month, the service winds through downtown and neighboring Corktown and operates from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Technically a pilot, The Connect is set to run for two years β€” for now.

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