Self-Driving-Shuttle Service to Launch in Ohio

Ann Arbor, Mich.-based May Mobility Inc. will begin operating a self-driving shuttle van service in Columbus, Ohio, late this year.

The company’s micro-transit electric buses can carry about 10 people and have a top speed of 25 mph. May Mobility recently announced a partnership with Magna International Inc., which will assemble the vehicles and provide them with sensor integration and drive-by-wire technologies.

The startup company has provided 10,000 trips to riders along a one-mile route in Detroit since launching the service there earlier this summer. That program is limited to employees of local real estate developer Bedrock Detroit LLC.

May Mobility is testing five routes in Columbus, some of which are three miles long, in conjunction with the Ohio Dept. of Transportation and the Smart Columbus initiative. The initial service will include three shuttle vans that stop at four locations.

As in Detroit, the Columbus service will be free to riders. May Mobility says it has used the Detroit program to better understand how other drivers interact with the shuttles and how to deal with trip irregularities, such as maneuvering around double-parked vehicles.

The company plans to add more routes and partner with other employers in Detroit in coming months. Pilot programs also are planned in four other states, the first of which will be announced next week.