WRTA to receive grant to build and test autonomous vehicle

YOUNGSTOWN — Western Reserve Transit Authority will receive a portion of a grant totaling $2.3 million to build and test an autonomous, electric demonstration vehicle.

The Federal Transit Administration Accelerating Innovative Mobility grant will be shared with the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority in California and CALSTART, a nonprofit organization that works nationally and internationally with businesses and governments to develop clean, efficient transportation solutions.

WRTA and the SCVTA will test the ability of the zero-emission vehicles to provide more efficient and cost-effective service under various climates and operating conditions. The vehicles are expected to carry from nine to 15 passengers and will have a safety operator on board.

The AIM project is part of a plan to develop an integrated autonomous system in downtown Youngstown that will coordinate with the existing WRTA system in Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

WRTA's autonomous vehicle is expected to be deployed in 2022.

This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 5:14 AM with the headline "WRTA to receive grant to build and test autonomous vehicle."