Pasadena Tech Firm Sells Autonomous Shuttle to Florida

Driverless vehicles are here. Would you ride on one? – Courtesy photo

The company proclaimed Game Changer,’ The COAST Autonomous P-1 Shuttle’

Coast Autonomous, a software and technology company, based in Pasadena, said that Tampa’s Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) has selected Coast Autonomous, along with community design firm Stantec, to provide autonomous mobility services for the Marion Street Transitway in downtown Tampa, Florida.

This “game changing” project is the first deployment of self-driving shuttles by a transit agency located in the United States. The Coast P-1 shuttles will operate in an open environment with live and mixed traffic, solving a mobility gap by connecting the Marion Transit Center and parking to employment centers. The Marion Street project is funded by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

“Transportation is changing. FDOT and HART are leaders in this transportation transformation that will deliver safer, cleaner, and more flexible mobility options,” notes David M. Hickey, Managing Director for Coast Autonomous. “We are honored to be part of this innovative team and look forward to setting a new standard for self-driving vehicle service in this first-in-the-nation project.”

Coast Autonomous and Stantec will provide project and program management along with related infrastructure design. Coast Autonomous will provide and operate the autonomous systems and fleet, which includes AV shuttles designed and manufactured by Coast. To kick off the project, Coast will be unveiling its P-1 self-driving shuttle, which will be equipped with lidar sensors, stereo cameras, GPS, and V2X technology to transport passengers along the corridor during daytime hours. The deployment of Coast’s P-1 shuttles is expected to act as a catalyst for further automation in transportation throughout the Tampa Bay region as part of the Downtown Tampa Autonomous Transit Project.

“Passenger safety and experience are the essential elements of any transportation initiative, says Pierre Lefèvre, the father of low-speed AV technology and inventor of the world’s first commercially available autonomous shuttle. “With redundant safety applications and a ground-breaking electric drivetrain built specifically for autonomy, we’ve designed the P-1 shuttle to provide safe, passenger-friendly autonomous transportation.”