The country's first self-driving shuttle was involved in an accident near the Las Vegas Strip less than two hours after its launch ceremony Wednesday.
According to KSNV, the autonomous bus was grazed by a delivery truck during its first hour of service around noon local time Wednesday.
No injuries were reported and the driver of the semi-truck was cited by police.
"The shuttle just stayed still. And we were like, it's going to hit us, it's going to hit us. And then it hit us," passenger Jenny Wong told KSNV. "The shuttle didn't have the ability to move back. The shuttle just stayed still."
The bus seats up to eight people with seatbelts and can brake automatically. Although it lacks a steering wheel or pedals, an onboard attendant can monitor operations via computer.
According to Fox News, the shuttle, which was developed by French company Navaya, can reach a top speed of 25 mph but travels at about 15 mph.
"The autonomous shuttle was testing today when it was grazed by a delivery truck downtown. The shuttle did what it was supposed to do, in that it's sensors registered the truck and the shuttle stopped to avoid the accident. Unfortunately, the delivery truck did not stop and grazed the front fender of the shuttle. Had the truck had the same sensing equipment that the shuttle has the accident would have been avoided," a representative of the City of Las Vegas said in a statement to KSNV.
"Testing of the shuttle will continue during the 12-month pilot in the downtown Innovation District."
The shuttle is free to ride for now and will run in a loop in downtown Las Vegas. Visitors can board at three different stops located on Fremont and Carson Streets between Las Vegas Boulevard and 8th Street.
AAA is sponsoring the shuttle and will donate $1 to the Las Vegas Victims Fund for every rider, guaranteeing a $100,000 check for victims of last month's mass shooting.
According to The Guardian, the bus is expected to transport at least 250,000 people during its pilot stage over the next year. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen whether the new service will catch on.
Allianz Global Assistance's recent Future of Travel survey found that 65 percent of respondents weren't interested in trying out new self-driving technology right now because of "safety concerns." However, 64 percent believe that self-driving cars will eventually develop to be safe enough for use in the future.
Recently, Google's Waymo revealed plans to pilot driver-less cars in Arizona.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
