Californian company says the pilot will take place in the city of Frisco in July
California-based self-driving car company Drive.ai has launched a pilot program to bring an on-demand, self-driving car service to Frisco, Tex.
The company said that the pilot will be launched in July this year in cooperation with the Frisco Transportation Management Association (TMA).
Drive.ai said it will offer rides to over 10,000 people in self-driving vehicles within a geofenced area comprised of retail, entertainment, and office space. The initial pilot will run for six months, beginning with fixed pickup and drop-off locations around Hall Park and The Star, and with planned expansion into Frisco Station.
Drive.ai’s self-driving on-demand service will be operated in conjunction with Frisco TMA, a public-private partnership which includes the City of Frisco, Hall Group, Frisco Station Partners, The Star, and the Denton County Transportation Authority — the latter will administer the program.
Once the program is live, riders will use the Drive.ai app to hail complimentary on-demand rides in self-driving cars that connect to popular destinations in Frisco.
“Drive.ai’s autonomous vehicles will help people get around one of our most vibrant, commercial areas along Frisco’s North Platinum Corridor. It also gets us closer to achieving one of our council’s ‘Top Ten’ goals, which is to improve traffic throughout Frisco, one of the fastest-growing cities in the country,” said Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney.
Drive.ai said that informational signage will be placed throughout the route and that the self-driving vehicles will be painted a highly-visible orange, and they will feature four external screens that communicate the vehicles’ intended actions to pedestrians and other drivers on the roads.
Drive.ai also highlighted that is dedicated to partnering with cities and transit authorities to deploy self-driving technologies in a scalable way.
“Self-driving cars are here, and can improve the way we live right now,” said Sameep Tandon, co-founder and CEO of Drive.ai. “Our technology is safe, smart, and adaptive, and we are ready to work with governments and businesses to solve their transportation needs”
Drive.ai has over 100 employees, with locations in Mountain View, Calif. and Frisco, Tex.
