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Enhance Regional Mobility

Goal 1: Explore Creative Alternative Transportation Opportunities
Objective 1: Promote Regional Connectivity
Project Performance Measure(s) Department(s)
ERM RAPID On-Demand Trips Completed Transportation
1.1.1 Autonomous Vehicle Pilot
Summary:
Estimated Actual
Milestone
This item supports the Council's "Enhancing Regional Completion Completion
Mobility" priority by improving access within Arlington Execution of COG Fall 2023 Nov. 2023
while complementing the Arlington On-Demand Funding
Rideshare service. Expanded RAPID Service Spring 2024 Aug. 2023
Starts
The Arlington RAPID (Rideshare, Automation, and Service Completion Summer 2025
Payment Integration Demonstration) project combines Evaluation and Reporting Fall 2025
the City’s expertise with on-demand rideshare and AV Completion
testing to integrate a shared, dynamically routed Level 4
AV fleet into an existing public rideshare transit system. Update:
Arlington On-Demand continues to provide the rideshare RAPID service is operating smoothly, and ridership
service and May Mobility provides the AV technology and continues to grow since the service hours expanded in
fleet. Both the rideshare fleet and the AV fleet include a August 2023 to operate from 8am to 8pm Monday through
wheelchair accessible vehicle, making this service more Friday. From service launch in March 2021 through the end
widely accessible. In partnership with the University of of September 2024, the RAPID service has provided a total
Texas at Arlington, the service operates in coordination of 80,353 rides. The fleet currently has four Toyota Sienna
with UTA’s fare payment system, allowing students to ride vans designed for shared and autonomous rides, one of
for a discounted rate. This project creates a one-stop- which is wheelchair accessible. The NCTCOG funding was
shop for mobility needs in the service area concentrated secured in November 2023. The project team is currently
around UTA’s campus and Downtown, providing a working on testing and outreach to prepare for a rider-only
seamless trip planning, booking, and payment experience pilot scheduled to start in early 2025. This pilot will remove
across modes. the human operator from the driver’s seat of the vehicle,
and extensive community education and outreach will be
The City of Arlington funded the first year of service performed before launching the pilot.
through a competitive $1.7M grant from the Federal
Transit Administration. The current service is funded
through the North Central Texas Council of Governments
(NCTCOG), in the amount of $4,538,552, for the service to
continue operations through mid-2025. The project
includes analysis and evaluation of the service outcomes
and reporting on lessons learned.

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