Advertisement

Header Utility Menu

  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Events

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

  • Login

Virginia Business

Mobile Menu

  • Issues
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finances
    • Law
    • Real Estate
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Energy/Green
    • Federal Contracting
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Hotels/Tourism
    • Insurance
    • Ports/Trade
    • Small Business
    • Startups
    • Technology
    • Transportation
  • Regions
    • Central Virginia
    • Eastern Virginia
    • Northern Virginia
    • Roanoke/New River Valley
    • Shenandoah Valley
    • Southern Virginia
    • Southwest Virginia
  • Reports
    • Best Places to Work
    • Business Person of the Year
    • CEO Pay
    • COVID-19
    • Generous Virginians Project
    • Legal Elite
    • Most Influential Virginians
    • Maritime Guide
    • Site Locator
    • The Big Book
    • Virginia CFO Awards
  • Company News
    • For the Record
    • People
  • Opinion
  • Lists
  • Awards/Events
    • Nominate a Virginia financial professional
    • Nominate A Woman in Leadership Today
    • 2022 Virginia Business Political Roundtable
    • Women in Leadership
    • Diversity Leadership Series
    • Virginia 500
    • Legal Elite
    • CFO Awards
    • Big Book of Lists
    • 100 People To Meet
    • Best Places To Work
  • Virginia 500
    • Read The Issue
    • Power Up Virginia 500
    • Buy an award plaque
    • Suggest execs for 2023

Advertisement

Header Primary Menu

  • Issues
    • March 2023
    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • Issues Archive
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finances
    • Law
    • Real Estate
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Energy/Green
    • Federal Contracting
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Hotels/Tourism
    • Insurance
    • Ports/Trade
    • Small Business
    • Startups
    • Technology
    • Transportation
  • Regions
    • Central Virginia
    • Eastern Virginia
    • Northern Virginia
    • Roanoke/New River Valley
    • Shenandoah Valley
    • Southern Virginia
    • Southwest Virginia
  • Reports
    • Best Places to Work
    • Business Person of the Year
    • CEO Pay
    • COVID-19
    • Generous Virginians Project
    • Legal Elite
    • Most Influential Virginians
    • Maritime Guide
    • Site Locator
    • The Big Book
    • Virginia CFO Awards
  • Company News
    • For the Record
    • People
  • Opinion
  • Lists
  • Awards/Events
    • Nominate a Virginia financial professional
    • Nominate A Woman in Leadership Today
    • 2022 Virginia Business Political Roundtable
    • Women in Leadership
    • Diversity Leadership Series
    • Virginia 500
    • Legal Elite
    • CFO Awards
    • Big Book of Lists
    • 100 People To Meet
    • Best Places To Work
  • Virginia 500
    • Read The Issue
    • Power Up Virginia 500
    • Buy an award plaque
    • Suggest execs for 2023

Home News Regions Driverless shuttle starts tests in Fairfax County

Driverless shuttle starts tests in Fairfax County

Published September 28, 2020 by Leah Small

The EZ10 autonomous shuttle may appear soon in Fairfax County’s busy Mosaic District.
The EZ10 autonomous shuttle may appear soon in Fairfax County’s busy Mosaic District.

Fairfax County and Dominion Energy Inc. began testing a 13-foot autonomous, electric shuttle this summer, a first step toward driverless public transit between Metro stations.

The EZ10 shuttle nicknamed “Relay,” built by French manufacturer EasyMile and owned by Dominion, is expected to hit the road this fall between the Dunn Loring Metrorail station and the county’s bustling Mosaic District, in a pilot program. The aim is to make public transit easier and more convenient by adding shuttle service between bus stops and Metro stations, as well as nearby businesses, says Rachel O’Dwyer Flynn, Fairfax County’s deputy county executive.

“One of the reasons the location was selected [is] how far people will walk to viable transit,” Flynn says. “If it’s farther than a mile, then they tend to get into their cars rather than make that walk.”

County staff and supervisors are currently gauging interest in other EZ10 routes that could serve high-population areas. Fairfax received a $250,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Rail & Public Transportation for the shuttle’s first year of operation, and the county has contributed $50,000. This is the first time Virginia state funds have been used to test autonomous technology in public transportation.

The shuttle is operated by Transdev North America, which also operates the county’s bus system and has overseen similar autonomous shuttles in three other states. The pilot route would ideally be served by three or four shuttles, limiting wait times to five to eight minutes, Flynn says. The shuttles run 12 miles an hour, and they’re active in 16 cities across the country.

There have been safety concerns about driverless vehicles, and in February, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suspended shuttle use for nearly three months after a passenger in Columbus, Ohio, fell during an emergency stop. Now, the shuttles are required to have seatbelts, as well as signs and announcements about sudden stops.

Still, the EZ10 and other autonomous vehicles are typically safer than humans behind the wheel, says Julie Manzari, innovation strategist for Dominion. The shuttles use GPS and sensors to spot hazards and respond by slowing or stopping. An attendant will be on board to monitor safety and stop the vehicle manually if necessary, and the state will conduct a safety audit.

“[It] never gets distracted by … a text message or a nice building, or a friend it sees on the sidewalk,” Manzari says.

 

Subscribe to Virginia Business.

Get our daily e-newsletter.

Related Stories

Virginia Business logo

ePlus acquires data storage company AdviStor

Virginia Business logo

DXC Technology sells health care software business for $525M

Transaction expected to close March 2021

Virginia Business logo

Accenture Federal Services wins $89.5M Air Force contract

Arlington contractor to establish cloud infrastructure for enterprise resource planning system

Trending

Naval operations building in Suffolk sells for $33M

Virginia ABC to hold Secretariat bourbon lottery

UR alumni couple donates $25M for student learning center

Four Richmond-area distribution centers sell for $105.6M

Martin Agency is Ad Age’s 2023 Agency of Year

Sponsored Stories

Working at Pinnacle Financial Partners

What Logistics issues will have the biggest impact on you in 2023?

In the New Year, Aim for Better Cybersecurity

Advertisement

Advertisement

Trending

Naval operations building in Suffolk sells for $33M

Virginia ABC to hold Secretariat bourbon lottery

UR alumni couple donates $25M for student learning center

Four Richmond-area distribution centers sell for $105.6M

Martin Agency is Ad Age’s 2023 Agency of Year

Sponsored Stories

Working at Pinnacle Financial Partners

What Logistics issues will have the biggest impact on you in 2023?

In the New Year, Aim for Better Cybersecurity

Get Virginia Business directly on your tablet or in your mailbox!

Subscribe to Virginia Business

Advertisement

Advertisement

Footer Primary Menu

  • virginiabusiness.com
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Footer Secondary Menu

  • Industries
  • Regions
  • Reports
  • Company News
  • Events

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Sign Up

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

Privacy Policy Cookie Policy

Footer Utility Menu

Copyright © 2023 Virginia Business. All rights reserved.

Site Maintained by TechArk