ORLANDO, Fla. — Central Florida’s first driverless shuttles will be hitting the streets soon in Lake Nona.
You read that right: Shuttles with passengers – but no driver – in a booming Orlando neighborhood.
The city and the shuttle's operating company, Beep, unveiled the Move Nona shuttles on Tuesday. WFTV Channel 9 traffic anchor Racquel Asa was the first reporter in Central Florida to take a ride on the shuttles months before they start running. (Keep scrolling to watch her report)
TRENDING NOW:
- Businesses on Disney's doorstep will get a big paycheck to close up shop
- Sources: Investigator says Orlando fire chief sexually harassed, retaliated against assistant chief
- Mother whose baby was found dead in swing with maggot-filled diaper gets life sentence
- VIDEO: Man accused of leaving wife to die in hot tub
The company and the developer are still working on deciding which roads the shuttles with share with cars. The service will run on fixed routes like traditional buses.
Eventually, there will be on-demand service that can be requested through a smartphone app.
PHOTOS: Driverless shuttles coming to the streets of Lake Nona
WFTV Channel 9 reported that Beep, the company that operates the shuttles, will bring its headquarters and about 100 new jobs to Orlando. The company does not have a safety record because Orlando is the first market to get Beep's shuttles.
The shuttles will begin running some in the spring.
WATCH BELOW: Traffic anchor Racquel Asa's exclusive first look at Lake Nona's driverless shuttles
For our previous coverage, where Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said he believes the driverless shuttles will actually be safer than regular vehicles, click here.
[ Download the WFTV News App for breaking traffic alerts and news about road work ]