Later this summer, Orlando plans to launch a fare-free autonomous bus that will circle parts of Parramore, Creative Village and link to Lynx’s downtown bus station.

Last month the City Council signed off on a funding agreement with the region’s bus service to launch the driverless pilot. The $500,000 test is planned to start in late August and run through April. The bus route is along Garland Avenue, Amelia Street, Terry Avenue and Livingston Street on what is LYMMO’s normal Orange Route.

The agreement calls for Lake-Nona-based Beep to provide two autonomous buses, each holding at least eight riders. The buses will run daily during off-peak hours, in addition to traditional buses on the route…

Like LYMMO, downtown’s Bus Rapid Transit system, the autonomous bus will mostly stay in dedicated lanes and use traffic signals for buses. For a sliver of its route, it will interact with other vehicles in regular lanes.