The City of Altamonte Springs has launched its first fully electric autonomous vehicle—CraneRIDES! The two new shuttles provide visitors, shoppers, and residents an innovative and sustainable way to travel while offering four stops in its initial phase. The bright blue and yellow shuttles with a white Sandhill Crane design can easily be spotted.

The reThink Your Commute team had an opportunity to ride the shuttle on its test pilot day and learned more about this emerging technology. One aspect of the state-of-the-art shuttle is that it has been programmed on a route that acts like an invisible train track. The vehicle follows the path and works in tandem with perception detection technology that makes it stop when movement within two centimeters is detected. Onboard the air-conditioned shuttles, riders can see a real-time map and all upcoming stops.

Each shuttle comfortably seats eight passengers, offers wheelchair accessibility, and has an operator onboard to help riders feel at ease. The route the shuttle uses features high-visibility signage and shuttle icons painted on the pavement. Additionally, the selected route only uses lower-traffic roads and will not operate on State Road (S.R.) 436.

In future phases, these modern vehicles will offer stops at AdventHealth Altamonte Springs and the Palm Springs Center. The final phase will extend as far as the Altamonte Springs SunRail station connecting passengers to even more eateries and shops within the area.

To onboard this new pilot project, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) awarded the City a service development grant that provides 50% of $2.4 million for the first three years of operation from funds that can only be spent on testing this type of transportation technology.

The start of CraneRIDES is part of a larger groundbreaking development to transform the way visitors and residents travel across Central Florida by offering a sustainable option that helps protect the environment. Riders can track the vehicle in real time by using the Ride Beep app. The shuttle operates seven days a week and makes the following four stops:

• Altamonte Mall
• AMC Theatre
• Cranes Roost
• Renaissance Centre

Visiting Altamonte Springs soon? Get around by using CraneRIDES and record your trip in the reThink Your Commute app.