Electric Driverless Shuttle Launches In St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — An electric driverless shuttle pilot program that the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority launched on Wednesday offers free rides to visitors at the downtown waterfront in St. Petersburg.

Autonomous Vehicle Advantage is a small, pink shuttle with stops along Bayshore Drive between Fifth Avenue North at the Vinoy and the Dali Museum at Dali Boulevard. Passengers are limited to one consecutive round trip.

The shuttle's stops are shared with the Downtown Looper. The stop at Pier South connects to the Central Avenue Trolley and the 100X. AVA’s stop at Bayshore North is near the Cross Bay Ferry.

AVA is the first autonomous vehicle in the Tampa Bay area to share the road with drivers, PSTA said.

Safety Features

Even though the shuttle is driverless, a copilot is always on board monitoring its travels and ensuring passenger safety. AVA communicates with the Beep Command Center personnel in Orlando through interior cameras and GPS locators that monitor her movement and location.

PSTA said AVA can stop on her own as well as U-turn and parallel park.

If a car or pedestrian gets too close to the shuttle, it will slow down and utilize decision-making skills. Almost instantaneously, AVA will decide if she can safely steer away or needs to come to a complete stop.

AVA has seatbelts, an onboard emergency kit and an emergency stop button.

Passenger Rules

Six passengers in the same party and four passengers in a separate party are allowed for coronavirus safety precautions. Normally, 15 passengers would be allowed.

Masks are required to be worn by passengers and copilot.

Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Children should always be seated and wear seatbelts. AVA does not have car seats or tether anchors to properly position a booster or car seat, however children too small to safely wear a seatbelt are asked to be seated in a parent’s lap and sit towards the front of AVA.

The shuttle is equipped to carry passengers with needs under the American Disabilities Act.

The pilot program is in partnership with the city of St. Petersburg, PSTA and Beep that runs until Feb. 21, 2021. Beep is an autonomous mobility solutions provider of driverless shuttles headquartered Lake Nona, Florida.

AVA operates from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Wed through Sun.

For more information about AVA, visit AVA Shuttle PSTA.