The Autonomous Future

Texas is a leader in autonomous vehicle deployment & can establish a model for others to follow
What does an autonomous future look like?
Passenger
 
  • Personal Ownership vs. Shared and/or On-demand Services
  • Tesla autopilot with constant supervision of human drivers
  • On-demand, shared AVs: Deployments in a few urban areas in pre-mapped areas but a larger trend toward shared mobility demand for travelers
 
Transit
 
  • Shuttles & Busses
  • Shuttles: many deployments in the US; primarily on fixed routes
  • Busses: not yet deployed in the US
  • ADA and accessibility considerations to accommodate all passengers
 
Goods Movement
 
  • Long-haul, middle-, and last mile 
  • Middle-mile deployment in DFW on urban roads
  • Last-mile sidewalk delivery in Austin and other Texas cities; on-road driverless vehicles
  • Long-haul autonomous freight along many highway corridors in Texas; intermodal facilities and urban destinations
 
Aerial
 
  • Package delivery, inspection & surveillance, urban air mobility
  • Infrastructure inspection, crowd monitoring, emergency response and resiliency
 
Source: Andrea Gold and Kristie Chin, University of Texas at Austin Center for Transportation Research
CITY OF AUSTIN'S HISTORY WITH AVs
 
Smart Mobility Roadmap 2017
 
SB 2205 gave the State exclusive AV oversight in 2017
 
Ford - ARGo AI began testing AVs in Austin 2019
 
Cruise began operating driverless rideshare 2022
 
AV Working Group formed July 2023
 
TSD'S INVOLVEMENT
 
City of Austin AV Working Group Meeting February 29, 2024
 
Austin Fire Dept.'s AV Day on April 18, 2024
 
Superintendent Peter Bailey participated in a Community and Equity-centered Roundtable focusing on mobility needs on June 12, 2024
 
Bailey participated in TXDOT Texas Technology Task Force on October 23, 2024
 
City of Austin AV Stakeholder's Meeting on March 25, 2025