Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to host self-driving vehicle test at JFK Airport

On Monday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced that it will be testing self-driving technology at JFK’s Long-term Parking Lot this summer.

The test will allow airport customers the opportunity to ride in self-driving shuttles. Agency officials said the shuttles will make parking easier and give customers quicker access between their parked vehicles and AirTrain JFK stations. Having received approval from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, the airport will begin the pilot program on Tuesday, July 16.

“We are preparing today for the future by moving forward with our tests of self-driving technology within safe, controlled environments such as our airports, which also happen to be the exact facilities where we want to put this technology into use. We thank ABM Aviation for working with us and providing staff to serve as safety monitors as an extra precaution and for customer service during these tests that will include the public,” Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said. “Autonomous platoons can give us the opportunity to get more airport customers where they want to go while they’re within our property so that we can serve more people safely and efficiently.”

The autonomous vehicle pilot is the agency’s fourth test of self-driving technology at its major airports, and the first to include union contract staff as the self-driving shuttles’ safety monitors. The agency’s two previous tests at JFK’s Aqueduct Parking Lot were held the past two summers, while a third test was held in mixed traffic at Newark Liberty International Airport last year.

“Safely incorporating self-driving technology at our facilities is part of the Port Authority’s future, and these tests help to prepare us for that eventuality by building a knowledge base on the possibilities and limits of these vehicles,” Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said. “We are redeveloping our airports now to be world class, which means incorporating world-class technology in every aspect of operations and customer experience as well.”

The three-month-long test at JFK’s long-term parking Lot 9 features safety attendants contracted through ABM Aviation Inc. The test vehicles are owned by Ohmio, based in new Zealand and California, and are clearly marked with self-driving signage. Two 8-passenger vehicles will circulate around the perimeter of the parking lot to bring customers closer to their cars, officials said, making 15 stops along the way.

The post Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to host self-driving vehicle test at JFK Airport appeared first on Transportation Today .