BUSINESS PLAN HIGHLIGHTS
ON STREET SUCCESS : MORE THAN 28,000 ARLINGTON RAPID TRIPS BOOKED DURING FIRST YEAR OF ON-DEMAND AV SERVICE✅
( Continued from Page 1 ) through Arlington ’ s on-demand public transit system , Via Arlington . With a 98 % rider satisfaction rating , it ’ s clear that the Arlington community embraced the pilot program .
Arlington RAPID was one of only 25 projects to receive funding in 2020 through the FTA ’ s Integrated Mobility Innovation Program .
“ The City of Arlington continues to prove itself as a national leader on autonomous vehicle testing and deployment ,” said Arlington Mayor Jim Ross . “ Thanks to the FTA ’ s Integrated Mobility Innovation grant , the City and its partners were able to build upon the country ’ s vital autonomous vehicle research and improve access to school , work and every day needs for thousands of people , including those who require mobility assistance , through on-demand public transportation access .”
The RAPID service area is currently bounded by Division Street to the north , Mary Street to the east , Mitchell Street to the south , and Davis Drive to the west . In all , more than 18 miles of Downtown streets have been mapped for the vehicles to take the most efficient path to pick up and drop off riders . During the first year of service , Arlington RAPID reported a 99 % on-time performance and the vehicles were able to operate fully autonomously 80 % of the time .
First year results show that more than 60 % of riders use RAPID to access essential destinations like medical facilities , school or employment opportunities , which demonstrates the success of the service as part of the existing on-demand public transit network , to fill critical transportation gaps and expand equitable access to transit across the city .
“ Arlington RAPID demonstrates how innovation and investment in the future of public transit are critical to advance equity in our communities ,” said Daniel Ramot , co-founder and CEO of Via . “ We are proud to continue our long-term relationship with the City of Arlington in the next phase of the RAPID program , and to be a model for other municipalities as they consider autonomous vehicles as a new option to improve public transportation access .”
This month , the North Central Texas Council of Governments awarded the City a new grant through its autonomous vehicle program , which seeks to support and expand AV planning , testing , and deployment in the region . Arlington ’ s project is one of four selected for funding in the program ’ s second round . The grant will allow RAPID to operate for two additional years , as well as adding vehicles with higher seating capacity and technology to move toward removing the human operator .
“ May Mobility and Arlington share a commitment to creating great transit through shared , on-demand autonomous vehicles ,” said Edwin Olson , CEO of May Mobility . “ May is excited to continue serving the Arlington community , and the learnings from this successful deployment will not only help advance our AV technology , but also enhance our service offerings at future sites around the world .”
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