The biggest state in the union is making room for self-driving cars, starting with four self-driving vans.
Driverless vehicles will begin picking up passengers for the first time in Texas, beginning in Frisco in July of this year.
Alison Griswold reports that the California-based company Drive.ai will launch a six-month pilot program that will operate four Nissan NV200s—"the same boxy van that roams New York City streets as a yellow taxi."
"Much like hailing an Uber, riders will summon one of Drive.ai’s vehicles using an app they install on their phones," according to Griswold. "For now, rides are free."
Drive.ai seems aware that the public consciousness about self-driving cars is mostly devoted to large companies like Uber, Waymo, and General Motors. "From day one, Drive.ai has positioned itself as the driverless car company that thinks most about these human-technology interactions," according to Griswold. "The vans rolling out in Frisco have LED screens on each side that can display short messages to other drivers and pedestrians, such as 'waiting for you to cross.'"
FULL STORY: Driverless car startup Drive.ai is launching a ride-hailing service in Texas
Treating Self-Driving Cars Like Student Drivers
Eschewing glamor, Drive.ai's self-driving vehicles use bright coloring, insignia, and LED messages to facilitate better interactions with humans on the road.
Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars
Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.
Federal Regulators Ask Tesla for Robotaxi Details Ahead of Planned Launch
Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the company will launch self-driving taxis in Austin in June and other U.S. cities by the end of the year.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars
Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.
As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.
With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)