Seniors and ADA riders in the East Valley served by Valley Metro in Maricopa County, Ariz., preferred autonomous vehicles (AVs) to traditional taxis or rideshare options, according to a report from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
For the disabled and senior population who may lack consistent mobility options, there is evidence that AVs provide a safe, convenient travel solution. Participants in the study were also engaged in more activities outside of the home and believe they would be comfortable riding alone, without an autonomous vehicle specialist.
“It is exciting to see how well autonomous vehicles were accepted as a viable travel solution for seniors and persons with disabilities. It is always beneficial to provide additional passenger options to our citizens. With a growing demand for affordable transportation, we are on the brink of a new era,” said Valley Metro RPTA Board member & Valley Metro Rail Chair Francisco Heredia.
As part of an effort to develop innovative ways for transit to complement new modes and technologies, Valley Metro collaborated with Waymo and Arizona State University (ASU) to understand how autonomous vehicles can be used for the Valley Metro RideChoice program. RideChoice provides critical transportation to seniors and passengers with disabilities using taxis and rideshare providers.
“Through our autonomous vehicle technology, Waymo offers a safe and easy way for people to get where they need to go,” said Nicole Gavel, head of business development and strategic partnerships for Waymo. “The insights gained through this first-of-its-kind partnership support developing a product and service that holds the promise of enabling mobility for all, offering a new kind of freedom for individuals to go where they want, when they want.”
The six-month study, which began in 2019, focused on how autonomous vehicles can enhance customer experience, meet accessibility needs and help improve affordability and safety to a key rider demographic. The study was funded by the FTA to understand where autonomous vehicles can fit within a program of transportation services provided for Americans with Disabilities Act paratransit-certified people with disabilities and seniors aged 65 and over. The vehicles operated in an area of approximately 100-square miles.
“The ASU team was delighted to have the opportunity to partner with Valley Metro and Waymo to study the potential for an autonomous vehicle future,” said Ram Pendyala, a professor of civil and environmental engineering in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU and director of the Center for Teaching Old Models New Tricks (TOMNET), a multi-university transportation research group. “The research findings show that the future is bright, with study participants expressing a strong desire to adopt autonomous vehicle-based transportation services.”
ASU researchers conducted surveys and focus groups while also analyzing trip data to gain an understanding of how AVs affect rider perceptions. They discovered that AV riders showed strong satisfaction with comfort, wait time, travel time and ease of requesting a ride.
“Incorporating new technology into our transit system is a leap that we are ready to take,” said Scott Smith, Valley Metro CEO. “There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to offering transit services. We will continue to seek out feasible solutions that make sense for every age and ability of our riders.”
Looking ahead, there is interest in further exploration of how transit services might facilitate and support point-to-point mobility. In addition, local elected officials who participated in roundtable sessions about the program felt there was a need to expand the trial use of AVs for mobility-challenged residents.
The opportunity to ride with Waymo was available in the East Valley (Chandler, Mesa and Tempe) service area between September 2019 and March 2020. The final report, written in association with ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, is titled, “An Evaluation of the Valley Metro-Waymo Automated Vehicle RideChoice Mobility-on-Demand Demonstration (Report 0198).”
