EDEN PRAIRIE
COMMUNITY GUIDE 2025
Pioneers in AI and autonomous technology
In a world of growing technology advancements, Eden Prairie became the second city in Minnesota to host autonomous or self-driving vehicles on their roads, the first being in Grand Rapids. In partnership with SouthWest Transit, the public transportation system announced its fleet of autonomous vehicles in November of 2024. The fleet includes five wheelchair-accessible vehicles that feature an ADA-compliant wheelchair ramp and securement system.
Through working with May Mobility, the self-driving vehicles have the ability to connect the community to a variety of destinations within Eden Prairie as well as provide what SouthWest Transit calls“ first and last mile transportation” to different mobility stations across Eden Prairie. Riders are able to travel to and from pre-determined stops by using their current Prime mobile app, powered by Spare.
The technology used within the vehicles was built and designed by May Mobility, which is known as Multi-Policy Decision Making( MPDM). MPDM is their AI solution that integrates real-time data— every 200 milliseconds— to ensure safety and efficiency, even in unpredictable situations. The technology uses live, online learning to supercharge the traditional offline training system used throughout the industry, enabling rapid global deployment at a fraction of the cost and time of other companies. Therefore, the more the vehicle drives, the more it learns quickly and enhances the riders’ safety.
Over the past three years, SouthWest Transit Eden Prairie has been working with Spare on its micro-transit service SouthWest Prime. With hopes of expanding the micro-transit service, the autonomous vehicle fleet is now a part of the service to make transportation even more accessible for Eden Prairie residents.
Since the announcement in 2024, the autonomous vehicles could be seen driving all across Eden Prairie with their South- West Prime logo and sensors tracking everything around them. For now, as the vehicles and the community become more acclimated to the technology, a safety driver is in every vehicle to answer any of the riders’ questions and take over the vehicle if there is an emergency situation that is unknown to the vehicle. Eventually, SouthWest Transit and May Mobility plan to let the vehicles travel without a safety driver and only use the tele-assist system to guide them if the vehicle is uncertain.
For more information on SouthWest Transit, their autonomous vehicle fleet, and SouthWest Prime, visit: www. swtransit. org.
SouthWest Transit Eden Prairie 13500 Technology Drive( 952) 949-2287
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