RI state leaders get first ride on Providence self-driving shuttle service

Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo and Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza rode in a self-driving car for the first time Tuesday when they inaugurated the state’s autonomous vehicle pilot program.

They circled the State House without incident and declared Rhode Island a leader in transportation technology.

Raimondo “got a little nervous” when the vehicle attendant took his hands off the controls, she said after stepping out of the shuttle on Smith Street. “But after a couple minutes it felt great. It felt safe and smooth. ... It swerved around the curb that juts out. It stopped at a red light, took a left when it needed to.”

Elorza: “I gotta admit, it’s kind of boring. It’s a car ride. It definitely felt safe. There was a construction site that we passed and it knew intuitively to move to the left and then back.”

While politicians and the press got a sneak peak at the “Little Roady” mini-fleet of vehicles Tuesday, the public will be able to ride in them for free starting Wednesday morning, when service begins from the capitol to Olneyville Square.

The shuttle bus service, run by the state DOT and Michigan-based May Mobility, is being paid for with $500,000 in Volkswagen emissions scandal settlement money and $300,000 in federal research funds.

The six-passenger self-driving shuttle buses will make 12 stops along the 5.3-mile route, and take 20 to 25 minutes to complete a circuit. The shuttles will run from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. with the wait between shuttles at around 10 minutes.

The purpose of the pilot program is to see how self-driving vehicles perform in an urban environment and put Rhode Island on the autonomous vehicle map.