Beginning soon, seniors and those with disabilities will have a new way to get around Detroit.
Detroit City Council recently approved funding for a new self-driving shuttle service that will be free for riders, providing much-needed help for those who need it most.
In a city known for a lack of public transportation, Detroit is getting a new option.
Detroiters 65 and older, along with those with disabilities who do not qualify for paratransit services, will be able to ride on a new self-driving shuttle for free.
City Council recently approved the $2.4 million contract with Ann Arbor-based May Mobility to provide the shuttle service. It's paid through grants and federal funding.
"I think it’s a great idea, definitely our senior citizens need help, and all of them can’t drive, so getting to the grocery store and pharmacy is definitely a plus for them," Lucinda Palmer, who lives in Detroit, said.
“I think it was a great idea, I mean you know they are not driving, the older people need transportation," Belinda Warren added.
But the future can sound scary, especially when talking about self-driving shuttles.
However, the city is reminding people it is safe and said riders won't be alone.
“This vehicle and all the vehicles that will be self-driving will have a safety operator behind the wheel at all times," Detroit's Chief of Mobility Innovation Tim Slusser said. "Specifically in this use case, that safety operator can be there to provide additional information to the riders, can be there to provide the service of helping a given rider if they have mobility challenges.”
He said the shuttles work like an Uber or a Lyft, getting people to the most important places in their life.
“We are really trying to help improve quality of life for things like grocery stores, doctors appointments, pharmacies, those standards quality of life destinations," Slusser said.
Funding is in place for three shuttles, but they are working to raise more for five. The city is working on an outreach program to get people registered to ride ahead of time, which will help determine some of the routes.
Right now, testing of the shuttles is underway, and service is expected to begin in the fall of 2024. The funding is good through 2026.
