New Jersey Transit seeks grant to test self-driving buses
In this March 10, 2010 photo, passengers board an NJ Transit bus in Camden, N.J. Board members of NJ Transit, the nation's third-largest commuter mass-transit system, are due to vote on higher fares and service changes Wednesday, April 14, 2010. Rail
EDISON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Transit passengers may one day board buses without drivers.
The agency on Tuesday in Edison unveiled three self-driving shuttles that it hopes to test as part of a pilot program funded by a $950,000 Federal Transit Administration grant.
The electric shuttles can ferry 15 passengers at speeds of up to 15 mph. They would first be tested on a closed section of Fort Monmouth before NJ Transit would seek permits to allow the vehicles to carry passengers on public roads within the fort's property.
NJ Transit says the self-driving shuttles can serve small area trips and feed fixed-route services.
The FTA is scheduled to announce grant recipients this winter.