The Arlington service is Drive.ai’s second on public roads, and the first in Texas to be made available on-demand to residents, employees and visitors
ARLINGTON, Texas, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Drive.ai, a self-driving car company, today launched its second self-driving service on public roads, serving residents, employees and visitors in Arlington, Texas. This commercial deployment, first announced in August 2018, is the company’s second in the last four months. Drive.ai continues to rapidly scale and integrate turnkey solutions that address communities’ diverse transportation needs within complex environments. As one of the nation’s first self-driving ride-hailing programs available for use by the general public, this type of dynamic, on-demand service is a major step forward for the self-driving industry, and an example of how Drive.ai is partnering with local governments to scale its technology and solve for real-world mobility needs.
Drive.ai’s vehicles will operate in multiple geo-fenced areas of the city, linking several of the community’s office buildings, special event venues and hotels, public amenities and popular retail and dining destinations. The scalable model for this service will be one that Drive.ai plans to replicate and expand upon with future partners.
“Our partnership with the City of Arlington is a testament to Drive.ai’s ability to develop not only cutting edge AI technology, but also self-driving services that solve the most pressing transportation problems facing communities today,” said Bijit Halder, CEO of Drive.ai. “As we continue to scale our deployments, we are committed to closely collaborating with governments, local authorities, and other organizations so that we can put forth self-driving programs that make a real and positive impact on people’s daily lives.”
“Partnering with Drive.ai on this groundbreaking program allows us to provide our residents and millions of visitors who come to our great city each year with a transportation option around our Entertainment District that is safe, convenient, and easy to use,” Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams said. “As a city that strongly values innovation, Arlington welcomes the opportunity to embrace the future of self-driving vehicles and share that future with as many people as possible.”
Starting today, people in Arlington can visit one of several conveniently located Drive.ai kiosks at the pickup points in the service area, or download the Drive.ai app to hail an on-demand self-driving vehicle. Once requested, vehicles pick up and drop off passengers along multiple routes within a geofenced area. Each route services points of interest that include AT&T Stadium (home of the Dallas Cowboys), Globe Life Park (home of the Texas Rangers), the Arlington Convention Center, local offices, and other nearby venues.
The on-demand ride-hailing program in Arlington is scheduled to run for one year, with up to five self-driving vehicles provided by Drive.ai. Both the City of Arlington and federal grants are contributing to funding the project. The vehicles will be featured prominently during the Texas Mobility Summit, taking place October 28-30, 2018 in Arlington.
About Drive.ai
Drive.ai is a self-driving vehicle company transforming the relationship between people and transportation. We use a deep-learning-first approach to develop an integrated software and hardware solution that is both scalable and adaptable to a variety of vehicles and environments. Our company works closely with public and private partners to deploy geofenced self-driving solutions that address transportation challenges and improve the state of mobility today. Founded in 2015 out of Stanford University’s Artificial Intelligence Lab, we have over 150 employees, with locations in Mountain View, California and Frisco, Texas.
About the City of Arlington
Arlington is The American Dream City because our competitive, can-do spirit makes dreams a reality. That spirit has been demonstrated many times over with big initiatives throughout the city’s history. Arlington, positioned at the center of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, is home to the Dallas Cowboys, the Texas Rangers, Six Flags Over Texas, D.R. Horton and a host of global, domestic and family-owned businesses. We are a City on the move, open to exploring innovative technology as part of our commitment to delivering valuable, cost-efficient services and to improving the quality of life for our citizens.
Contacts
press@drive.ai
susan.schrock@arlingtontx.gov