A Unique Experience With Autonomous Vehicles

The thrill of riding in a fully autonomous vehicle was a unique experience. As she settled into the back seat of a Toyota Sienna, alongside Frank Renwick, May Mobility’s vice president of marketing and communications, her voice rose in anticipation. “We’re going to drive alongside other humans?” she asked, her tone laced with a mix of excitement and trepidation.

Edwin Olson, CEO and founder of May Mobility, responded with a calm demeanor, “* yeah.” He was seated in the middle row, with the vehicle’s steering wheel rolling left and right, partially obscured by the empty driver’s seat. The vehicle expertly directed itself onto a busy road, and Olson seemed unsurprised by her reaction.

The autonomous shuttle, operated by May Mobility, was set to navigate through various environments in Ann Arbor. Olson explained that they would be driving through a light industrial area and then into higher-traffic residential areas, including arterial roads, to get a good mix of driving conditions. May Mobility had previously operated four vehicles in Detroit as part of a free service, but that program ended in June. The company had recently launched an autonomous vehicle pilot program in Atlanta with Lyft, marking the first public autonomous vehicle deployment.