Want your voice heard in the future of transportation technology? Residents ages 18 and older are invited to participate in an online survey that will help researchers gauge public perceptions and concerns about the use of a fully autonomous rideshare transportation service one day in Arlington.
The research is being done by The University of Texas at Arlington, which is one of the City of Arlington’s partners on the Arlington RAPID public transportation pilot program. This autonomous, on-demand rideshare service has provided riders with nearly 100,000 trips around Downtown and the UTA campus since it launched in March 2021.
Residents ages 18 and older are invited to participate in UTA’s research study. Responses will be kept confidential. The survey should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete. Click here to take the Arlington RAPID and Autonomous Vehicle Usage Survey.
RAPID, which stands for “Rideshare, Automation, and Payment Integration Demonstration,” is provided through a partnership with UTA, the City of Arlington, Via, and May Mobility through grants provided by the Federal Transit Administration and the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
UTA’s research team will analyze data from the survey and share it with the RAPID partners to help inform future service decisions. Aggregated results may also be published in academic journals for the benefit of the broader community of cities, businesses and others who are exploring autonomous passenger services.
“Working toward fully autonomous operations has always been a goal for this innovative public transportation pilot program. The City is always looking far out into the future to anticipate community needs and solutions, and we hope that as technology matures, fully autonomous services will lead to cost efficiencies for us and safety improvements for commuters,” said Ann Foss, Arlington’s Transportation Department planning and programming manager.
Arlington RAPID’s fleet of four vehicles, which includes one that features a wheelchair ramp and securement system for wheelchairs, serves Downtown Arlington and UTA from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Passengers can book a ride through the Arlington Transportation app or by calling Arlington On-Demand’s customer service line at 817-784-7382. This service is currently funded through mid-2025.
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