(Houston, TX) — The Metropolitan Transit Authority is interested in applying driverless technology to Houston-area mass transit.
The driverless car, which was developed in part by Texas A&M, was featured at the Texas Mobility Summit that started Sunday at TranStar.
Engineers at A&M are also working on what’s known as “platooning” technology for trucks, which means the leading truck in a caravan has a driver, but the trucks that follow it are driverless. The technology has been shown to improve fuel efficiency, and METRO now wants to try it out on buses.
The official wbsite for METRO claims that “Now is the time for transit agencies to develop pilots and plans that re-imagine public transportation. The driverless technology offers many benefits to transit agencies, including increased safety and mobility options, while also furthering the agencies’ goals. And, in fact, driverless shuttles are available today and many pilot programs are underway globally. Now is the time to consider a driverless shuttle pilot to introduce this technology (as both shared and electric) to public transit agencies and their constituents.”
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