Self-driving vehicle pulled over by curious police officer

Source: Associated Press

Self-driving vehicle pulled over by curious police officer

By MATT O'BRIEN
May 15, 2019

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A self-driving shuttle got pulled over by police on its first day carrying passengers on a new Rhode Island route.

Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements said an officer pulled over the odd-looking autonomous vehicle because he had never seen one before.

“It looked like an oversize golf cart,” Clements said.

The vehicle, operated by Michigan-based May Mobility, was dropping off passengers Wednesday morning at Providence’s Olneyville Square when a police cruiser arrived with blinking lights and a siren.

It was just hours after the public launch of a state-funded pilot for a shuttle service called “Little Roady.” The shuttle offers free rides on a 12-stop urban loop that links to a train station. Each vehicle holds six people, including an attendant who takes control when the self-driving technology falls short, such as on difficult left turns with oncoming traffic.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/1dab6dd010874060aadc13132ffddc08


FILE - In this Feb. 20, 2019, file photo people view a new self-driving shuttle, one of a fleet of vehicles unveiled by May Mobility at the Quonset Business Park in R.I. A self-driving shuttle got pulled over by police on its first day carrying passengers on a new Rhode Island route. Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements said Wednesday, May 15, that an officer pulled over the odd-looking autonomous vehicle because he had never seen one before. (AP Photo/Matt O'Brien, File)