The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) said it just launched the Bay Area’s first autonomous shuttle program that will be open to the public.
The Bishop Ranch Autonomous Shuttle Program will run through fall 2023, providing free, driverless electric shuttles to four key destinations within San Ramon’s Bishop Ranch business park.
CCTA said the program will be available to the community from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Bishop Ranch PRESTO shuttle will take passengers along a route with four stops throughout Bishop Ranch and City Center. The shuttles hold up to eight passengers, plus an attendant, and have a maximum speed limit of 15 miles per hour.
CCTA said the service is family-friendly, but riders under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
PRESTO is a new suite of mobility options that will include bike share, scooter share, and express bus service in addition to autonomous shuttles.
CCTA said PRESTO will prepare the Bay Area for the future of transportation and increase transit options for all, including transportation-challenged and underserved communities in Contra Costa County.
“We’re excited to be able to provide the public with free access to these zero-emission, low-speed, autonomous shuttles,” said CCTA Board Chair Federal Glover, in a statement.
“The service can help cut down on harmful emissions, reduce congestion on our roads, and create a new, accessible connection to transportation hubs throughout Contra Costa County, and we’re grateful to Bishop Ranch and the city of San Ramon for sharing our vision of a brighter future for the county.”
CCTA said Bishop Ranch’s 30,000 employees and miles of private roadways, bisected by public roads, make it an ideal location for the program’s launch.
The program is funded in part by an $8 million grant award from the Federal Highway Administration’s Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) program.
CCTA is also partnering with Beep, which specializes in testing autonomous shuttles, to create and manage “stress-free and self-sufficient autonomous mobility solutions.” Beep has tested autonomous shuttles around the country, including in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and at Yellowstone National Park.
PRESTO shuttles don’t have drivers, pedals, or steering wheels, but do have an attendant to make sure riders have a safe and pleasant experience. The Beep command center also remotely monitors the shuttles at all times to ensure the shuttles are operating safely.
CCTA said it plans to bring shuttles to several public events across the county this summer to make it easier for people to see and experience autonomous shuttles first-hand.
More information on how to use the shuttles can be found at ridePRESTO.com.
photo: courtesy of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority
12 comments
Do old, white, born-in-the-USA citizens have to ride in the back of the bus?…. inquiring minds would like to know.
Doesn’t seem equitable, none of these shuttles being deployed to are most vulnerable communities where a need for pollution free transportation is desperately needed.
Exactly what no one needed. More “free stuff”.
“We’re excited to be able to provide the public with free access to these zero-emission, low-speed, autonomous shuttles,” said CCTA Board Chair Federal Glover, in a statement.
Are we also to assume that the attendant is also free ?
Free Insurance ? Free maintenance ? Free electricity ?
Margaret Thatcher once said that “The trouble with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”
Presto! Like magic more taxpayer money disappears
It looks like a Roach Motel on wheels.
@WESLEY MOUCH….”Where roaches check-in but they don’t checkout”.
Oh Good! Those stinky homeless winos were getting tired of sleeping on BART.
Bishop Ranch? That’s not a diverse test. That’s softball.
Why not test it at Kaiser Plaza in Oakland?
Because within an hour they’d find it at the bottom of Lake Merritt upside down without it’s wheels………
“The Beep command center” . . . . Really ?
@ORIGINAL G….Only for Nash Ramblers…….
https://youtu.be/S3qaYBOl_eY
My Sweetie’s Favorite “Oldie”
There’s an “attendant” on board?
Then why not just have a driver?!!!
15 mph top speed? Only carries 8 passengers?
No mention of cost, only that program is “partly” funded by an $8 million grant award.
This whole concept is just embarrassing.
I’ll bet this thing will run into (or over) some people and probably hit a dog or two after a couple weeks on the loose.
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