Self-Driving Shuttle Partnership Expands in California

Beep has launched a second autonomous shuttle in California in partnership with the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA).

The PRESTO service will be used to ferry residents of the Rossmoor 55+ seniors community in Walnut Creek.

The new deployment follows a successful pilot launched last year, during which Beep’s self-driving vehicles operated at Bishop Ranch business park in San Ramon.

The new program will see the buses run on a predetermined loop, five days a week, from Monday to Friday, between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. 

They will be free to use and the route will connect two key points in the Rossmoor community, the Tice Creek Fitness Center and the Gateway Community Center. 

There will be room for seven seated passengers, as well as a trained attendant, who will be on board at all times to answer any questions and oversee progress.

The electric shuttles – driven by self-driving software from U.K. company Oxa, formerly known as Oxbotica – will also be remotely monitored by the Beep Command Center, to ensure safety at all times.

Rossmoor was specifically chosen for the pilot by CCTA because as a spacious, gated community it offers ideal conditions for the AVs to operate in. 

Data and feedback from the pilot will be used to inform further CCTA deployments and also be studied by federal transportation officials to see if any insights can be gained to accelerate further AV rollouts elsewhere.

Related:Beep’s Self-Driving Shuttles Hit the West Coast

Joe Moye, Beep CEO, said: “We are excited to partner with CCTA again, bringing the PRESTO autonomous mobility network to Rossmoor.

“This collaboration underscores our shared vision of leveraging innovative technologies and services to enhance community access to first- and last-mile transportation. Beep autonomous shuttles in Rossmoor will provide reliable and safe transit options, connecting residents to key destinations, people and opportunities within the community.”

CCTA’s first partnership with Beep, in San Ramon, has already successfully transported 1600 passengers. The agency is now believed to be targeting another AV program in the city of Martinez this summer.

The deal marks the latest success for Beep, following the launch of a trial of its shuttles at Honolulu airport in Hawaii in May. 

Other deployment locations in the U.S. include North Carolina, Peachtree Corners, the Smart City near Atlanta, Georgia and its hometown of Orlando, Florida.