Before the holidays, the two shuttles arrived at St. Stephen’s and started closed-course testing and operator training in the back parking lot. During this time the shuttles were wrapped and went from plain white to Smart Columbus rainbow and OneLinden blue and green. Take a look at them now!
This week, the shuttles will continue closed-course testing in the parking lot and if all goes well, they will start on-road testing as soon as Wednesday, January 8th. During on-road setup and testing, an operator will be on board while the vehicle maps the route and test the technologies in the real-world environment. If you encounter the shuttles during on-road testing, please be aware and courteous. Remember the shuttles will travel at an average of 3 mph during route setup and up to 9mph during testing. During the testing, we’ll be evaluating vehicle technology in its surrounding environment such as stopping at stop signs and following other vehicles.
On-road testing will continue through January leading up to the launch anticipated to be late January.
Upcoming Open Interviews for Shuttle Operators | JAN 14
In partnership with EmpowerBus, local mobility start-up, we’ll be holding Open Interviews for Autonomous Shuttle Operators at St. Stephen’s Community House on Tuesday, January 14 at 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
EmpowerBus is hiring up to 6 operators to ride and oversee the operation of 2 self-driving shuttles servicing a 4 stop route in South Linden. The vehicles will have stops at the Linden Transit Center, Rosewind, Douglas Rec Center, and St. Stephen’s Community House. The shuttles will operate 7 days a week from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. with suspensions in service from 8-9:30 a.m. and 2-3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Positions start at $15/hr. for full-time and part-time positions are available. Full-time positions offer benefits.
Attend these open interview hours to learn more. No resume necessary. Apply online now by filling out an application at https://www.empowerbus.com/careers. Select “Autonomous Operator” under position type.
