Shared autonomous vehicle testing partnership established in California

Credit: The Telegraph

First Transit, a US division of FirstGroup, has signed an agreement with GoMentum Station, a California-based proving ground, to carry out research into shared autonomous vehicles.

Credit: The Telegraph

The facility will be used as a test site for innovative transport applications, including a pilot project with EasyMile and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) (which began in 2016) to deploy the first commercially operated shared autonomous vehicle on public roads in the United States.

“The partnership with GoMentum Station allows us to identify new mobility solutions for our customers using shared autonomous vehicle technology,” said Brad Thomas, president of First Transit. “We see the broad application of this technology as a great first and last mile solution plus countless other transportation challenges.”

As part of the agreement, First Transit will responsible for providing staffing, maintenance, insurance and operational support for two shuttles during the testing and deployment phases of the program.

“As a leader in innovative transportation solutions, we are proud to have First Transit as one of our exclusive collaboration partners at GoMentum Station,” added Randell Iwasaki, Executive Director of CCTA. “The partnership with First Transit expands the international reach of GoMentum Station, and will provide a unique opportunity for multi-modal testing with a firm that specialises in transit operations. This will enable us to explore how automated vehicles can complement and enhance existing mobility options.”

GoMentum Station in Concord, California, is a 2,000-hectare test facility where the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) and its partners are accelerating the next generation of transportation technologies. It has been named by the U.S. Department of Transportation as one of ten federally designated automated vehicle proving grounds and is the largest secure test track of its kind.