California based Drive.AI is set to launch a self-driving ride-share service in partnership with the city of Frisco, TX, and a private developer, Hall Group. The driverless service is supposed to start in July when the vehicles will be put to the test to see how well they work around traffic and to gauge the reaction of people.
Four bright orange vans, the same as New York taxis, will be a part of this project for six months and will be located in and around an office park located near The Star, the headquarters for the Dallas Cowboys football team. These vehicles will offer rides to more than 10,000 people in Level 4 self-driving vehicles within a geo-fenced area.
“We will use this as a blueprint and infrastructure for expansion into other communities,” Sameep Tandon, Drive.AI’s founder and CEO, said in an interview Monday.
Until the launch, Drive.Ai, the city of Frisco, and its transportation management agency are working towards educating the public about the technology of the self-driving cars and vans that are being used in the program. Depending on the public response, they will be able to determine the final drop-off locations for the vans.
“Self-driving cars are here and can improve the way we live right now,” Sameep Tandon, co-founder and CEO of Drive.Ai, said in a statement. “Our technology is safe, smart, and adaptive, and we are ready to work with governments and businesses to solve their transportation needs.”
Based out of California, Drive.Ai is a startup founded in 2015. The company is into self-driving technology, and it competes with some big names like Alphabet Inc’s Waymo, Uber Technologies Inc., General Motors Co., and Toyota Motor Corp. The company is into developing artificial intelligence software for autonomous vehicles using deep learning.
“Today definitely marks a mobility milestone for our entire region,” Frisco mayor, Jeff Cheney, said in a statement. “It also gets us closer to achieving one of our council’s ‘Top Ten’ goals, which is to improve traffic throughout Frisco, one of the fastest growing cities in the country.”
