NO DRIVER? NO PROBLEM

Passengers ferried in under-the-radar trial

Self-driving car company nuTonomy revealed yesterday that it has been quietly ferrying dozens of passengers to and from South Station in recent weeks, its first tests with public passengers in Boston.

The goal is to understand what consumers want from autonomous vehicles as nuTonomy prepares for more tests with Lyft later this month, the company said.

“Many people have read about self-driving cars in the media, but very few people have experienced them,” said Karl Iagnemma, chief executive of nuTonomy. “We are very cautious to make sure that we get the user experience right.”

Last month, nuTonomy cars drove 41 passengers back and forth from the company’s offices in South Boston to South Station. The pilot test was designed to get feedback from passengers about riding in self-driving cars.

“Most passengers stated without prompting that they never felt unsafe throughout the ride,” nuTonomy said in a report filed with the Boston Transportation Department.

“Many described the car as ‘cautious.’ Some appreciated this caution as they said it made them feel safe, while others were impatient and encouraged us to be more assertive.”

Earlier this year, nuTonomy and Lyft announced a partnership to provide selfdriving taxi service in Boston. Iagnemma said that is on track to begin later this month.

Though self-driving cars are often thought of as an inevitability for the future of transportation, Iagnemma said they will only become pervasive if they are passenger-friendly.

“If it’s not a technology that’s designed around a user, people may find the experience uncomfortable, they may not feel safe in the car, and they may not use it,” he said. “If people don’t use the technology, no matter how safe it is, no matter how sound it is, we won’t have a viable product.”

The pilot included a number of seniors, who were interested in not having to rely on someone else to get around, but said AVs would have to be able to pick up at exact locations so they and those with disabilities won’t have to cross the street. The test also included one visually impaired person, who said he frequently uses ridehailing apps.

“Blind passengers (in ridehailing services) are noted as such to drivers, resulting in drivers tending to be overly friendly during the ride,” nuTonomy said. “He expressed his excitement about the prospect of not having to interact with a human driver.”

Still, all the passengers chose to be part of the first passenger tests in Boston, and may be more willing to try autonomous vehicles.

‘Many people have read about selfdriving cars in the media, but very few people have experienced them.’ — KARL IAGNEMMA chief executive of nuTonomy