Source : PHD Ventures
What it is:
Just last week, autonomous
vehicle (AV) startup Optimus Ride became the first public AV offering in New
York City, providing shuttle rides to passengers in Brooklyn's Navy Yard. While
carrying both a safety driver and software operator, and restricted to a
1.1-mile loop of private roads, the shuttle service is already expected to
serve over 16,000 passengers per month. Lowering consumers' barrier to use,
Optimus has even made the service free, running between a NYC Ferry stop and
the Yard’s Cumberland Gate to embed itself in the daily routine of thousands of
commuters.
Why it’s important:
As regulatory frameworks continue to catch up with AV technology,
public trust is critical. By launching its shuttle service at the Navy Yard
(private property exempt from DMV regulation), Optimus can tap into an existing
passenger pool with rigidly defined routes and far fewer safety concerns. This
choice further reflects Optimus’s strategy of deploying its service in
residential communities, corporate and university campuses, resorts, and
similarly well-structured environments. Providing a lower-risk market entry
route, these “enclosed network” transportation services are already predicted
to exceed a combined value of $600 billion,
according to Optimus’s founders. An alternative to personal vehicles’
incremental addition of adaptive cruise control, brake assist, and hands-free
parallel parking, Optimus-like shuttle services may vastly accelerate AV’s
broader public adoption.
