Are We There Yet? AV Shuttles Not Ready for Transit Service, Report Says

According to an assessment of two North Carolina pilot projects, low-speed autonomous shuttles have too many limitations to deploy as a public transit option.

1 minute read

August 30, 2024, 8:20 AM PDT

By Mary Hammon @marykhammon


A small boxy driverless shuttle pulled up to a curb.

Low-speed autonomous shuttles have been deployed with limited use in cities, office parks, campuses across the world but are not yet authorized to operate on U.S. roadways. | Damian B Oh / Wikimedia Commons

Skip Descant, writing for Government Technology, shares details of a new report that assessed two North Carolina pilot programs testing low-speed autonomous vehicles. The conclusion? The vehicles still have “too many limitations” to be effective as transit solutions, including difficulty managing urban traffic settings and slow speeds that top out at about 12 miles per hour.

“These are some of the findings in a July 2024 report on the use of the autonomous vehicle (AV) shuttles by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). The study examined the use of the vehicles in the city of Cary and at the University of North Carolina (UNC) in Charlotte. Both pilot projects were part of the Connected Autonomous Shuttle Supporting Innovation (CASSI) program,” Descant reports. The two pilots used shuttle technology from Navya Autonom, a French company, and the shuttles were operated by Beep, a Florida-based company.

Despite these less than encouraging results, NCDOT plans to continue into the next phase of the CASSI program, which “could lead the agency to test autonomous systems embedded into more conventional vehicles,” similar to a project in Florida set to begin later this year. Beep and the Jacksonville Transportation Authority will test “14 customized Ford shuttles equipped with Level 4 autonomous technology, capable of traveling up to 37 miles per hour,” according to the Government Tech article.

Wednesday, August 28, 2024 in Government Technology

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Ken Jennings stands in front of Snohomish County Community Transit bus.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series

The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

April 20, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Rendering of Penrose Roundabout in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia Is Expanding its Network of Roundabouts

Roundabouts are widely shown to decrease traffic speed, reduce congestion, and improve efficiency.

45 minutes ago - WHYY

Green painted bike lane with striped buffer between car lane and curb parking lane.

Why Bike Lanes Are Good: An Explainer for the US Transportation Secretary

Sean Duffy says there’s no evidence that bike lanes have benefits. Streetsblog — and federal agencies’ own data — beg to differ.

2 hours ago - Streetsblog USA

Yellow electric school bus with preteen students exiting.

California Invests Additional $5M in Electric School Buses

The state wants to electrify all of its school bus fleets by 2035.

April 25 - Associated Press