By Jessica Boehm | Arizona Republic
Want to take the bus or light rail to work but live too far from the nearest station? Valley Metro hopes driverless cars could soon fix your conundrum.
Metro Phoenix’s transit agency and Waymo, Google’s self-driving car project, launched a first-of-its-kind partnership Tuesday to experiment with how new technology can complement traditional public transit options.
The two-year pilot program will begin by connecting riders to and from light rail stops, but could also expand into Valley Metro’s services for people with disabilities and seniors.
“There are people who claim that (developments) in technology and ride-share services and things like that are going to make public transportation irrelevant. Well, I don’t believe that,” Valley Metro CEO Scott Smith said.
Neither does Waymo, according to the company’s business development officer Shaun Stewart.
“We don’t see ourselves as disrupting public transportation, but seeing if we can enable it and improve the reach and the access to it,” Stewart said.
Both Smith and Stewart said the pilot will work like a “laboratory.” As both entities learn from initial user feedback, they will test other ideas to see how the old-school transit agency and newfangled transportation company can work together to improve access across metro Phoenix.
How will it work?
