Self-Driving Cars To Launch In Arlington

ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) – Arlington city leaders are talking about plans for phase two of a program to test autonomous vehicles in and around the Entertainment District.

Alicia Winkelbech, Arlington's Assistant Director of Strategic Planning says come August, the current autonomous vehicle program known as "Milo" will be phased out for self-driving cars that would be used in mixed traffic situations.

"It could be a low speed shuttle," said Winkelbech. "It could be something that looks more like an enclosed golf car or something that looks like a sedan."

The city is currently taking bids from vendors as part of their process to decide which vehicles will be used.

They will also test delivery robots that use the sidewalks to transport small packages through Arlington.

"The city of Arlington has really tried to position ourselves as innovative and forward thinking when it comes to transportation and forward mobility," said Winkelbech.

The second phase of their testing is also a pilot program that will last one year and cost between $550,000 and $650,000 for up to seven vehicles.

Arlington does not have mass transit in the way of wide bus routes and/or trains available.

As they look to improve that, city officials say traditional transit option are not something they are focused on.

"The city is very interested in looking forward to the future, and not back to the past," said Winkelbech.

The second phase of autonomous car testing is expected to roll out by October when Arlington hosts the Texas Mobility Summit.