Beep, an Orlando-based autonomous shuttle service provider, is among 17 initial participants selected by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for the Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing Initiative (AV TEST Initiative).
The AV TEST Initiative is focused on facilitating greater public understanding and awareness of AV projects, gathering detailed input from stakeholders on challenges and successes regarding the safe development and testing of autonomous vehicles, and engaging in meaningful and informed relationships between participants and USDOT to enhance safety. Other participants include Cruise, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Local Motors, NAVYA, Nuro, Toyota, Uber, and Waymo. The state transportation departments of California, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah are also included in the initiative.
“Automated driving system technologies hold the promise to help prevent fatal crashes, save lives, and reduce the severity of the crashes that do occur. Under the leadership of Secretary Chao, NHTSA is committed to facilitating the safe testing, development, and eventual deployment of advanced vehicle safety technologies through enhanced transparency and information sharing with all our State and local partners,” said NHTSA Deputy Administrator James Owens in press release announcing the initiative.
A component of the AV Test Initiative will include an online portal accessible to the public this summer. Beep and other stakeholders will voluntarily provide information for the portal that is pertinent to ADS testing activities they are conducting across the country. The public will then have the ability to search projects by state and learn the unique details about each project on the portal.
“We are pleased to participate in the AV TEST Initiative and applaud the USDOT and NHTSA on an initiative meant to create the needed transparency for safe deployment and operation of autonomous technology across the country,” said Joe Moye, CEO at Beep. “Beep has been engaged with NHTSA as part of their AV test program where we, as an autonomous service supplier, share regular information on how these shuttles operate and respond in various, live scenarios interacting with pedestrians, bicyclists and mixed traffic. This initiative will allow us and others in the AV industry to advance our collective learnings with the goal of improving public visibility and awareness of our results while building meaningful relationships among other participants and stakeholders to enhance safety for everyone.”
The initiative aligns with USDOT’s AV 4.0: Ensuring American Leadership in Automated Vehicle Technologies, which is intended to protect users and communities, promote efficient markets, and coordinate efforts to ensure a standardized Federal approach. AV 4.0 also supports AV technology growth and leadership while promoting more opportunities for collaboration, such as this AV TEST program.
For more about the AV Test Initiative, please visit www.nhtsa.gov/avtest.
About Beep
Beep is an autonomous mobility solution company delivering the next generation of services for passenger mobility to fleet operators in planned communities and low speed environments across the public and private sector, including transportation hubs, medical and university campuses, town centers and more. From route planning to interactive managed services, Beep’s offerings are designed to drive differentiation and innovation, and delight the passengers of our customers.
For more information visit: www.go-beep.com
