Automation in Our Parks: Automated Shuttle Pilots at Yellowstone National Park and Wright Brothers National Memorial

Through its Emerging Mobility initiative, the National Park Service (NPS) implemented two electric, automated shuttle pilots at Yellowstone National Park and Wright Brothers National Memorial. “The Electric Driverless Demonstration in Yellowstone” (TEDDY) pilot operated from June to August 2021 with two Local Motors Olli shuttles operated by Beep, while the “Connected Autonomous Shuttle Supporting Innovation” (CASSI) pilot operated at Wright Brothers National Memorial from April to July 2021 with a single EasyMile EZ10 shuttle operated by Transdev. Together, the two pilots served over 13,400 riders on more than 3,300 trips. The shuttle pilots faced some operational challenges, with a significant number of disengagements and service suspensions. Survey results indicated overall satisfaction with the pilots, although most riders rode the shuttles primarily for a fun experience rather than to get to a specific destination. The NPS learned many lessons throughout the course of the two pilots, on topics such as contracting, communications, planning, visitor experience, technology, evaluation, and accessibility

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