The City of Arlington, along with its partners, is toasting to the successful wrap-up of their Arlington RAPID program, a novel on-demand autonomous vehicle (AV) service which not only broke ground as the first of its kind to be fully melded with public transit in the U.S but also boasted the title of being the nation's longest-running AV service on-demand. According to the City of Arlington, the RAPID project, a brainchild of the City, Via, May Mobility, and the University of Texas at Arlington, launched back in 2021, is now ceasing operations today after a successful run.
In practice, the RAPID service operated five days a week, providing transport across Downtown Arlington and the UTA campus using a fleet of four autonomous vehicles. Over its operational lifespan, the project managed to safely deliver more than 113,000 rides, earning an impressive rider satisfaction score with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars. The program seemingly became essential to many, with staggering statistics showing that 94% of riders were repeat customers, and an impressive 79% purportedly used the service to quickly get around weekly or daily.
Ann Foss, the Transportation Department’s planning and program manager, was quoted in the report as saying, per the City of Arlington, "Arlington RAPID's successful completion marks a significant leap forward in the integration of autonomous technology with public transit. This pioneering on-demand service has not only provided more than 113,000 trips with exceptional rider satisfaction but has also demonstrated substantial advancements in autonomous operation." It's noteworthy that the technology managing these autonomous trips saw consistent enhancement during the program's term, with autonomy levels starting at about 65% but reaching closer to the 90% mark towards the end.
The project didn't just make waves locally but also caught international attention, bringing home the Tech-InnovaCity Seoul Smart City Prize for Institutions in 2024 and several other accolades in preceding years. Arlington has been on a roll with AV public transportation pilots, with RAPID following the heels of previous projects like the off-street Milo shuttle and the on-street drive.ai service, highlighting the city's commitment to transforming the transit landscape. Recognition from groups such as the Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association and the Texas Parking and Transportation Association further cemented Arlington's role as a frontrunner in this innovative transport space.
