SELF-DRIVE EFFORTS GET A LYFT
Pilot program ramps up in the Seaport
People in the Seaport looking for a lift can now hail a ride in a self-driving car thanks to a partnership in Boston between Lyft and self-driving car company nuTonomy, one of the first public trials in the country.
“We want to let members of the public experience driverless vehicles firsthand, so they can better understand the impact this new technology will have on their lives,” nuTonomy said in a blog post.
“Based on feedback from pilot participants,” the company said, “nuTonomy’s engineers will adapt and improve our system, so that we can deliver an autonomous transportation experience that is extremely safe, efficient, and comfortable.”
Riders will be limited to areas where nuTonomy’s cars are permitted to drive, including the Seaport neighborhood and South Station. NuTonomy said “select” passengers will be able to request rides, but it is unclear how those riders will be selected.
The cars can be hailed using the Lyft app, and will have a safety engineer in the driver’s seat ready to take over if necessary. In a statement, Lyft said the pilot program will help the company “build a future centered around cities and people — not individual vehicle ownership.”
NuTonomy already ran its own pilot tests last month, ferrying dozens of passengers to
South Station.
The riders universally said the cars felt safe, nuTonomy said, with some complaining the car seemed too cautious. The tests included a number of seniors and one blind person, in hopes of getting a better sense of how to cater to riders that have long struggled with getting around.
Eric Balles, managing director of transport and energy at Draper Labs in Cambridge, said tests with real passengers are an expected step, but still a big one.
“It’s an important step, no doubt about it,” Bayles said, “the general public still has considerable uncertainty.”
Self-driving cars have racked up hundreds of miles in the Seaport between nuTonomy and Optimus Ride, another local company. Optimus Ride will soon begin carrying passengers at the Union Point development in Weymouth.
Auto parts manufacturer Delphi, which acquired nuTonomy for $450 million earlier this year, has also been granted approval to test in Boston.
Delphi said nuTonomy will continue to operate independently, and its technology will be used to develop an autonomous system that can be sold to car makers.
Nationwide, a handful of other companies have launched passenger service, including Waymo — Google’s self-driving car company — and Uber in Arizona.