The project, known as Arlington RAPID (Rideshare, Automation and Payment Integration Demonstration), is a partnership between the city, UT Arlington, transit provider Via and May Mobility, a maker of autonomous technology and fleet services…

The pilot launched about a year ago and has since provided some 28,000 trips. As ridership steadily grew so, too, did the autonomous operation, with the vehicles running in self-driving mode about 80 percent of the time, officials report…

In its next iteration, RAPID will use gas-electric hybrid Toyota Sienna vans which are designed for mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) deployments. The van will have a capacity for four to five passengers and will be wheelchair accessible. Communication devices will be installed in the vehicles to allow them to communicate with emergency vehicles.