DALLAS (KRLD) - The DFW Airport Board of Directors has approved a $300,000 contract for pilot project that would use a driverless bus in one of the airport's parking lots. The contract with EasyMile will run for six months.
EasyMile will provide a bus that will drive around the Remote South lot and pick up people who have parked. The bus will then drop people at the front of the lot to pick up buses to the terminals. Those buses will still have human drivers.
"It will have stations, and it will wind through the parking lot, so it's a good test for us in a very controlled environment," says DFW Executive Vice President of Innovation Paul Puopolo.
Puopolo says using one bus for six months will let the airport ensure proper infrastructure is in place. He says DFW will encourage riders to complete surveys, and the airport will map the most efficient routes.
"We need that information before we decide to put in an autonomous vehicle and move passengers, let's say, from a rental car facility to the terminals or between terminals," Puopolo says.
He says the bus will always have a safety monitor on board.
After the trial, Puopolo says the airport could hire additional buses. He says DFW is already looking at options for automation elsewhere.
"This particular vehicle will help us understand how we can move bags, how we can move cargo, how we can move cargo. We're also looking at autonomous passenger boarding bridges," he says. "This is just one example of a lot we're doing around autonomous technology."
The bus from EasyMile is expected to begin running in Remote South before the holidays.
