The recently completed Route 66 Road Fest in Tulsa featured on particular oddity — a driverless shuttle bus to help visitors get to and from the festival.
You can see the shuttle operate in this local news report:
News 6 reported it was the first such driverless shuttle in the state.
The shuttle was created by a French company named Navya and follows a pre-programmed route.
While this shuttle is the first of its kind in Oklahoma, Navya already has more than 200 shuttles in 25 countries.
The goal for these shuttles is to increase mobility, especially for seniors or people without cars.
I’ve seen more videos of these driverless vehicles pop up in my news feed, especially by developer Waymo.
Driverless vehicles make me feel somewhat queasy, and I’m sure quite a few roadies can relate.
However, one also can see it eventually might have substantial impacts on the Route 66 tourism industry, especially for those unable to drive. Many who cannot drive safely currently have to rely on relatives or tour buses to do it for them. The prospect of driverless technology would allow these folks to use their own cars.
Driverless programs probably within a decade will let people go from Point A to Point B on the Mother Road safely and efficiently. But will the technology allow the user to experience one of the true joys of Route 66 — the ability to make a spontaneous stop to see something that wasn’t expected? That’s a big and impactful question facing future travelers on the Mother Road.
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