Autonomous vehicles (AVs) will soon be rolling through the streets of Eden Prairie, though they won’t be quite driverless – at least not yet.
At a gathering of area community and business leaders on Wednesday at Eden Prairie’s SouthWest Transit Station, officials from SouthWest Transit (SWT) and their AV technology partner, May Mobility, showcased vehicles equipped with autonomous driving technology. Attendees were given the opportunity to experience AVs for themselves with short rides in the vicinity of the transit station.
Five AVs will soon provide what SWT calls “autonomous micro-transit service,” offering an on-demand, first- and last-mile shuttle service – a first for the Twin Cities region.
However, with a nod to safety, these AVs, for now, will include a ride-along “driver,” who, if necessary, can take control of the vehicle. The eventual goal is not to include a driver, making these vehicles truly autonomous.
These AVs will be added to the transit company’s existing fleet of driver-piloted, on-demand ride vehicles, known as Prime, which currently includes about 22 cars, according to SWT.
“This is really a story about partnerships,” Erik Hansen, CEO of SWT, told the gathering of several dozen leaders, “because there are many people that it took to put this together. … This (initiative) is really central to our mission at SWT about serving people, serving our customers, and connecting people from where they are to where they want to go and doing that in innovative … ways that represent the future of transit.”
Transit officials expect to launch the service soon, although no specific start date has been set for when AVs will begin operating in the area.
The service will operate similarly to Uber rideshares. Customers can book a ride using SWT’s app or by calling SWT’s customer service, said Manik Dhar, chief commercial officer of May Mobility, the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based AV tech company providing the vehicles. May Mobility now operates nine fleets of on-demand rideshare AVs in the U.S., including a service in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and two fleets in Japan.
“Yes, you can think about it like Uber; it’s like an app,” Dhar said. “You request a ride, and if it is in the area that the AVs service, you can go anywhere in that area. It is point-to-point, on-demand transit service.”
For now, the AVs will operate in the vicinity of the SouthWest Transit Station, covering all of Eden Prairie’s Golden Triangle, the commercial city center, and the area around city hall, according to SWT.
The AVs are being funded by a $5.5 million grant from the Metropolitan Council, according to Hansen. Met Council Member Deb Barber, who attended the gathering, said SWT’s AV service fits with the Met Council’s goals of “connecting people and being creative … this program connects a lot of transportation service options. You’ll have light rail (slated to start in 2027), bus, critical local service, and now that last mile of service. This adds to a suite of services that SouthWest Transit provides … we were happy to support this effort.”
Eden Prairie Mayor Ron Case told the gathering, “When you get the new technology that’s coming online, you don’t overnight transition from wherever you were. … It’s got to be transitional, and somebody has to be out there starting it and piloting it … to have Eden Prairie be the leader in some of these innovative technologies is really exciting for me, but I think it’s exciting for EP, and it benefits our residents and businesses.”
After the leaders were done with remarks, most attendees were eager to try out the vehicles and take a ride.
“I was impressed and really enjoyed the opportunity to ride in one of the SouthWest Transit AVs,” said Pat MulQueeny, president of the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce. “The vehicle’s technology and explanation of how it works were amazing. With the digital screen, you can track the vehicle’s path, see the surroundings near the vehicle, and be able to follow the upcoming stops. Very impressed by how they work and look forward to see how they are used in Eden Prairie – very exciting.”
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