Las Vegas to test autonomous shuttle buses this week
The first fully electric shuttle to be deployed on a public roadway in the US made its debut in Las Vegas this week. The 12-passenger vehicle, Arma, developed by Paris-based company Navya in partnership with Keolis, will be limited to 12mph during the two-week trial period and will operate between 10am and 6pm. The vehicle and its services will cost around $10,000 per month but advertising could offset these costs. The Las Vegas Mayor hopes to have a fleet in operation by summer or early autumn.

The city of Las Vegas will be home to a two-week autonomous shuttle trial starting today, according to a report from The Las Vegas Sun. The shuttle is a small 12-person vehicle known as Arma, similar in appearance to Google’s original driverless car prototype, and it’s developed by a French company called Navya. The shuttle will offer free rides from 10AM to 6PM down Fremont Street between Las Vegas Boulevard and Eighth Street. While the car is capable of driving itself at up to 27 mph, the trial period will cap the vehicles’ top speed at 12 mph.

Navya’s Arma shuttle carries 12 passengers and can drive 27 mph

While it is only a trial for now, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman hopes to have a fleet of Arma vehicles operating in the city as soon as this summer or by early fall. The expectation would be that Navya’s $10,000-per-month service could be offset with advertising, which could be plastered on the side of the shuttles and displayed on screens within the vehicle itself. Goodman says an ideal situation would be making rides on an Arma free for city residents.