Wheels Launch of Passenger Service on Autonomous Vehicle Event


Target Audience: The target audience for this entry was the 230,000 residents of the Tri-Valley region of Northern California, which consists of the cities of Livermore, Pleasanton and Dublin. The purpose of the event was to let the residents know that we were now offering rides on our Shared Autonomous Vehicle (SAV) to the general public beginning November 16, 2020.

Strategy Objective:The launch of service event was publicized with a press release, postings on our website, our social media channels and on Nextdoor. We also had a video produced that showcased the project and featured comments from prominent Tri-Valley elected officials to showcase the significance of the project and present a vision of how these vehicles might be used in the future. At the event site, located at the East Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station, a check in table and tent was set up and special commemorative promotional items, including an embossed coin and an "Official Autonomous Vehicle Tester Notepad" were given to everyone who came out to experience the new service.

Situation Challenge: Our agency completed all federal and state requirements for testing of our SAV on public streets and was authorized by the federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to begin carrying the general public on the vehicle. The challenge for this event was to encourage ridership, but to do so in a manner that recognized the safety protocols necessary during a pandemic. Rather than hold a single day event where social distancing would have been a challenge if a crowd showed up all at once to ride, we set up a reservation system accessible through our website that worked much like "Open Table" does for restaurants. Only one group of no more than 3 persons could book any single reservation time and reservations were spaced so the vehicle could be disinfected between trips.

Results Impact: The start of passenger service on an autonomous vehicle on public streets adjacent to the East Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station was quite momentous, as it was the first such service to be put in operation on the West Coast. The passengers who took the first trips were amazed by how smoothly the vehicle operated and, in most cases, stayed around for a bit to engage staff and ask questions about the technology and future plans.

Why Submit: The strategy employed by this entry permitted Wheels to celebrate this start of service was unique but provided for a safe environment for all who participated.