GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Grand Rapids is getting ready for the day when cars that drive themselves will hit city streets.
Next year, an all-electric, autonomous shuttle that can seat five people will loop through popular West Side neighborhoods, heading east where it will move through parts of downtown and the Arena District.
Grand Rapids, Consumers Energy and Start Garden/Seamless are part of the nine-member Grand Rapids Vehicle Initiative, which has set out to prove the streets of Grand Rapids are ready for the vehicles of the future.
“We think that the self-driving technology really has a massive potential impact on improving people's lives, and Grand Rapids will be one of the first cities to pilot this technology,” said Edwin Olson, Founder and CEO of Michigan-based May Mobility, which builds the technology loaded shuttles.