Automated Shuttle Launches Next Month in Yellowstone
America's first national park will have another "first" beginning next month, when the National Park Service plans to launch their first automated, unmanned passenger shuttle.
According to the press release from NPS, testing will begin May 24 on a "low-speed, electric, automated vehicle (AV) shuttle technology within the Canyon Village campground, visitor services, and adjoining visitor lodging area."
Yellowstone National Park, and the Wright Brothers National Memorial in North Carolina will be the first two parks to test these automated shuttle pilot.
The automated shuttle routes in Yellowstone National Park will be the following:
May 24 through July 12: Stops are at Visitor Services, Moran Lodge, Washburn Lodge.
July 14 through August 31: Stops are at Visitor Services, Amphitheater & Campground Services, Middle Campground, Upper Campground.
Here's what NPS says they will use to measure success of the automated shuttle pilot program:
A successful pilot needs to ensure that safety comes first. We will be able to measure and mitigate this in real time as we actively monitor all shuttle activity and environmental conditions. A primary goal of this project is to understand how this technology operates in parks, so we will be collecting data throughout the pilot about ridership, speeds, stop times, attendant overrides, and much more.
According to the National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park was selected for this automated shuttle test because it was the "sixth-most visited national park in the United States with over 4 million visits. Due to its remoteness and popularity, the NPS selected Yellowstone to explore opportunities to advance our goals related to emerging mobility and better plan for the future of transportation."
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