DETROIT – In a Detroit first, a self-driving, accessible, paratransit shuttle is being deployed to transport senior citizens and the underserved to and from appointments and other needs at a local hospital.
The deployment – a partnership between Navya, NextEnergy, Bestmile, Flagstar Bank, IXR Mobility, and AARP, as well as DTE Energy, and the State of Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification PlanetM – aims to enhance accessibility for residents of two communities, Brush Park Manor Senior Housing and Brewster Homes, through the use of a self-driving shuttle featuring an ADA compliant wheelchair ramp manufactured by BraunAbility.
With these integrations, the service expects to solve the problem many residents of each community face attempting to secure reliable transportation to and from doctor’s appointments and other essential or critical needs.
This operation, the result of a 2019 PlanetM Mobility Grant awarded to Navya to deploy an industry-leading, automated, accessible paratransit shuttle in the City of Detroit (https://www.planetm.com/press-releases/2019/05/five-startups-launching-pilots-addressing-mobility-challenges-in-michigan-planetm-adds-testing-facility-partners/), intends to be instrumental in addressing today’s most critical mobility,accessibility, and transportation difficulties, including congestion reduction and advanced pedestrian and road safety.
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