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Profile: City of Detroit

PAVE: How is City of Detroit preparing for AVs? What steps have already been taken?

The City of Detroit is preparing for AVs through three primary areas:

  1. We are identifying existing mobility challenges that Detroiters face and addressing them with current technologies, such as shared mobility, micromobility, and microtransit.
  2. We are working with local companies to share information with each other, the City sharing how traffic and mobility works today and companies sharing updates on technology.
  3. We are conducting outreach across the City, in partnership with the Knight Foundation, to better understand how Detroiters view this technology and the opportunities and challenges they foresee with AV deployments.

PAVE: What AV deployments/tests have taken place in Detroit?

  • Ford/Argo AI, Waymo, and Yandex all conduct AV testing in Detroit
  • May Mobility, in partnership with a local real estate developer, has run a dedicated service since 2018
  • NAVYA, in partnership with the State of Michigan, is conducting a pilot transporting residents from a senior community to doctors visits.

PAVE: What is the most important thing you’ve learned from your work with AVs?

People struggle with mobility, both in Detroit and across the country, whether it’s getting to work, school, or to see a doctor. AVs will be a tool to address this challenge. But in order for this technology to work for everyone, residents have to be at the center of any AV mobility solution.

Read more about the City of Detroit on their website.

About the Public Sector Advisory Council: PAVE’s public sector partners help to guide PAVE on its mission of promoting fact-based public discussion about automated vehicles. Council members serve in a strictly advisory capacity, providing PAVE and its members with opinions and recommendations related to AV technology and its societal effects.