This is the very first time that a self driving a public vehicle has been tested out in the US. A self driving shuttle named The Arma built by French electric car maker Navya has been put to teat in the Fremont street, where it will be carrying passengers from 10 am to 6 pm every day. The shuttle can accommodate 12 passengers at a time and will be carrying passengers to and from the Eight Street and Las Vegas Boulevard, a vintage part of the city, away from the casinos and Vegas main strip.
The shuttle will move through traffic driverless and although the shuttle can reach a speed up to 27mph, currently the speed has been limited to 12mph during the trial period for safety concerns. This pilot public transit project will carry on for two weeks in the city. After France, debuted The Arma in 2015, US has been the 7th country to put the vehicles into use.
The mayor of Las Vegas, Carolyn Goodam, is positive on adopting the shuttles for public use and is looking to have a number of The Arma to work around in this city. The cost of each Arma is $10,000 and she believes that this can be accumulated by the advertisements displayed on the side screens and the back as well as inside bus. She also believes that The Arma rides should be made free for the residents of the city.
She has brought together the project by collaborating with the city of Las Vegas and Keolis, the largest private transport company in France. She even took a ride on the shuttle bus on the Freemont street on the Tuesday. She said that this was a wonderful sight for all of them to witness such an event. She also said that she was pretty much nervous, but after she got up on the bus she was amazing to find that the air is very much clean and the bus moves pretty swiftly so, it is going to be a good ride for everyone.
