Who ’ s On the Move - Taniya
Meet Taniya Little – Autonomous vehicle ( AV ) enthusiast and one of the newest faces on Arlington ’ s transportation scene . Taniya is the site manager at the local May Mobility office located across the street from Urban Union in Downtown Arlington . May Mobility is a key partner in the Transportation Department ’ s RAPID program . RAPID ( Rideshare , Automation , and Payment Integration Demonstration ) is an awardwinning transportation service that provides autonomous vehicle rides around Downtown Arlington and the University of Texas at Arlington ’ s ( UTA ) campus . This is the first on-demand autonomous vehicle service in the United States that is integrated in an existing public transportation service , Arlington On-Demand .
As a site manager , Taniya is responsible for coordinating the May Mobility staff who make the service work , including the vehicle operators and the on-site engineers . Besides working with the local team , she is also able to work with other site managers across the United States to ensure that service runs smoothly for everyone . Her days include briefing staff with updates , inspecting the vehicles for safety and cleanliness , implementing and overseeing daily protocols , tracking site performance and reporting to systematically improve outcomes , ensuring exceptional customer service for partners and passengers onboard , and making sure the software is up to date . Taniya also provides training for her team on new processes , policies , and hardware .
Originally from Chicago , Taniya relocated to DFW in 2020 because of the many exciting opportunities available in the region . After working with autonomous vehicles at TuSimple and Nuro , Taniya came to May Mobility , drawn by the culture and purpose of the company . One of her favorite things about the job is the ability to make a difference by providing a community service and was also drawn to the forward-thinking and innovative mindset .
Over the years , Taniya has seen AV technologies change and evolve to become more accurate and precise . The Toyota Sienna autono-MaaS vans used in the Arlington RAPID fleet are equipped with cameras and other sensors to give the vehicle a 360-degree view , effectively eliminating blind spots and allowing the vehicle to see further than the human eye can . Unique to May Mobility is its Multi-Policy Decision Making ( MPDM ) technology . The software is continuously learning and analyzes thousands of possible scenarios per second , determining the risk level and appropriate action to take .
Taniya enjoys seeing the technology get better , as well as seeing the impact of the service increase . Here in Arlington , most riders are UTA students with many of them being international students . The busiest stops for the RAPID service are on campus or near student housing . Students like to learn about the technology and enjoy the opportunity to try a unique experience not available in many other places .
Some riders even go on to become vehicle operators while in school or after they graduate . There are also several retirees who enjoy being active and have trained to become vehicle operators . One of Taniya ’ s responsibilities as site manager is to help guide her employees and help them grow in their careers . Taniya predicts that autonomous vehicles are here to stay and that we will see more and more of them in our lifetime but Arlington is ahead of the trend and has developed great partnerships to continuously improve transportation .
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