The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) and Navya are deploying two autonomous shuttles at the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) Aqueduct Parking Lot during a 3-day platooning demonstration.
This pilot began on 17 October and is the first test of its kind to take place at a North American airport. It aims to demonstrate how the eight-passenger electric autonomous shuttles can be used in a platoon to safely and efficiently transport passengers in an airport environment.
Platooning allows multiple autonomous vehicles to travel in unison to increase the number of passengers who can be transported in a single movement.
Proponents of autonomous vehicle technology believe that in the future, autonomous vehicles (AV) may be used for first and last-mile trips such as transporting passengers to a rail station, a rental car facility, or from an AirTrain station to the furthest end of long-term parking facilities.
Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said:This demonstration is an opportunity to evaluate and test new and emerging technology to improve our customer experience. We continue to see the importance of offering customers innovative and world-class services in response to their needs.
Throughout this pilot, an on-board safety operator will remain present on the shuttles, which will also be supervised by Navya’s control centre in Michigan.
This demonstration follows a successful pilot earlier this year of platooning retrofitted buses with lane-keeping technology in the Port Authority’s Exclusive Bus Lane (XBL), which is used to expedite bus travel into and out of the Lincoln Tunnel during rush hours.
