TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - TARTA on Thursday announced plans to bring autonomous vehicles to Toledo next year as part of its Move Toledo program.
The test program is to start next year and is coming via an $1.8 milion grant from the Federal Highway Administration to test the autonomous buses in the city.
TARTA secured the grant in collaboration with the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments. The grant is expected to fully fund the program; no local tax dollars will be used.
The route will take passengers along circuit yet to be chosen in Toledo and will have a driver present for safety issues.
The test period is for three years.
TARTA CEO-General Manager Jim Gee said, "This grant from the Federal Highway Administration makes it possible for Toledo to be on the cutting edge of new technologies. TARTA is proud to play a role in the evolution of public transit on a national and even global scale, especially in a way that makes significant contributions to Northwest Ohio. It is an exciting time for TARTA and public transit in Toledo."
