Self-driving shuttles at JFK Airport to carry travelers across parking lots

QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) — Getting across the airport’s massive parking lot might get a little easier this summer.

Travelers at John F. Kennedy International Airport will be able to ride a new self-driving shuttle from the airport’s parking lot for free. Starting Tuesday, July 16, the eight-passenger vehicle will roam JFK’s parking Lot 9 and will make 15 stops along AirTrain stations.

The self-driving vehicles are part of the Port Authority’s three-month long pilot program. It marks the agency’s fourth initiative with self-driving vehicles, after a similar program at Newark Liberty International Airport last year.

“We are preparing today for the future,” Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said. The agency’s Executive Director Rick Cotton echoed his sentiment saying, “We are redeveloping our airports now to be world class, which means incorporating world-class technology.”

In line with respecting the airport’s unionized staff, JFK’s bus drivers will also serve as safety monitors during the shuttle’s pilot program.

Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here .

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