City of Detroit secures $1.67 million in funding to enhance “Connect” AV Shuttle Service

2024
  • Expected to launch in late summer, the Connect is a collaboration between the City, Bedrock, Michigan Central, and the State Office of Future Mobility and Electrification.
  • City has secured $1.67 million in MDOT funding to enhance the upcoming autonomous vehicle shuttle service, which will be fully electric and free for riders.
  • The additional MDOT funding will be used to add a 5th shuttle, reduce wait times to about 10 minutes during peak hours, and extend the service by an additional year.

 

The City of Detroit today announced it has received significant additional State funding to support the growth and operations of the fully electric Connect AV shuttle scheduled to launch in late summer 2024.

When it begins operation, Connect shuttles will run from Corktown through downtown Detroit, down the East Jefferson Riverfront, and back. The shuttle service will be free to all members of the public.

In April, the City of Detroit, along with partners Bedrock, Michigan Central, and the State Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, announced the pilot of "Connect," a two-way, 10-mile autonomous vehicle shuttle route.

The City of Detroit’s Office of Mobility Innovation successfully applied for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) 2024 Service Initiatives funding and has been awarded $1.67 Million. This funding will enable the City of Detroit, along with its project partners, Bedrock and Michigan Central, to increase rider capacity, reduce wait times, and extend the Connect service for an additional year with an additional fifth shuttle. Detroit City Council unanimously voted to approve the initial portion of the MDOT funding this past Tuesday.

“The City of Detroit is thrilled to have MDOT support the Connect pilot project,” said Tim Slusser, Chief of Mobility Innovation for the City of Detroit. “This project will significantly benefit both residents and visitors by reducing wait times, expanding service areas, and providing a convenient, free, and eco-friendly transportation option around the city. The Connect pilot will be much more than just a transit service for Detroiters. The AV shuttle service will serve as a demonstrative model to assist transit agencies across the state and country on successfully incorporating the latest technologies and improving rider experience for customers.”

The funding from MDOT will be allocated to support the following:

  • Increasing Service Vehicles: MDOT funding will be used to procure an additional vehicle for the service, increasing rider capacity and reducing wait times for the service to approximately 10 minutes during peak demand.
  • Service Extension: The funding will extend the Connect service pilot by 12 months, ensuring additional access for Detroiters.
  • Business Modeling Tool Development: A software-based tool will be created to transition the Connect pilot into a sustainable transit form. This tool will provide transit agencies with essential data on costs and operational changes associated with new EV and AV technology.

City Partners with Bedrock, Michigan Central, and State Office of Future Mobility and Electrification

In April 2024, the City of Detroit announced the pilot of a two-way 10.8-mile autonomous vehicle (AV) shuttle route named the Connect. The City’s free pilot service is led in collaboration with a consortium of partners: Bedrock, Michigan Central, and the State of Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME), This service route will run between Michigan Central Station and Bedrock’s 200 Walker Street on the East Riverfront, home to the Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design and the newly opened Foot Locker Footwear Creation Studio.

“Connect” Service Details:

  • The Connect pilot will deploy five all-electric, wheelchair-accessible Ford E-Transit shuttles in late summer 2024; the shuttles are free and open to the public to ride. These shuttles will be ADA compliant.
  • The project is supported by $1.5 million in first-year initial funding: $500,000 each from Michigan Central, Bedrock, and the State of Michigan’s OFME.
  • Perrone Robotics, Inc. was selected as the preferred partner for this project, leveraging its 20+ years of AV expertise and technology.

“MDOT is pleased to be partnering with the City of Detroit’s Office of Mobility Innovation to advance the development of multiple new technologies while improving transit service in Detroit,” said Jean Ruestman, MDOT Office of Passenger Transportation administrator. “The ability to learn more about automation and electric transit vehicles in a single project is a great opportunity. Plus, it will improve access between two exciting areas of Detroit, which is a huge bonus. We are excited to provide funding to extend this innovative project, further supporting the enhancement of Detroit’s transit infrastructure.”

“The Connect project aligns with OFME’s efforts to enhance Michigan’s mobility ecosystem through safe, accessible, and sustainable transportation for residents across our state,” said Justine Johnson, Chief Mobility Officer for the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification. “Alongside our City of Detroit, Bedrock, and Michigan Central partners, OFME is grateful for MDOT’s support of the Connect pilot, which will help improve and enhance the rider experience.”

###

About the City of Detroit's Office of Mobility Innovation (OMI):

The Office of Mobility Innovation (OMI) exists to help the City of Detroit navigate the rapidly changing transportation and mobility industries. Transportation and mobility are essential for both people and businesses and Detroit’s automotive heritage provides an unparalleled opportunity to work with industry to innovate and define their future.

OMI leads mobility advancement efforts on behalf of the City of Detroit and collaborates with industry, academia, philanthropy, and local, state and federal government. By centering residents in every step of the process, OMI is focused on leveraging mobility as a pathway to opportunity in Detroit.

For additional information about OMI, please visit https://detroitmi.gov/government/mayors-office/office-mobility-innovation  or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Youtube and Instagram

About Michigan Central:

Michigan Central is a 30-acre technology and cultural hub in Detroit, where leaders, thinkers, communities, and creators come together to accelerate bold ideas and technologies that shape our collective future. By providing access to world-class infrastructure, tools, and resources, Michigan Central inspires innovators and community members to collaborate on real, ground-breaking solutions to global problems. Since opening in April 2023, Michigan Central has grown into a diverse ecosystem of more than 600 employees from over 100 companies and startups working at the intersection of mobility and society. The Station at Michigan Central opened as the centerpiece of the district in June 2024 and has already attracted tens of thousands of visitors to celebrate and explore the historic transformation of Detroit’s iconic former train station into a global destination. Learn more at michigancentral.com .

About Bedrock:

Bedrock is a full-service real estate firm specializing in innovative city building strategies. Since its founding in 2011, Bedrock and its affiliates have invested and committed more than $7.5 billion to acquire, develop and operate more than 140 properties in Detroit and Cleveland with landmark developments at the Hudson’s Site, Book Tower, City Modern, Tower City Center and the May Company Building. 

Bedrock’s projects include new construction, adaptive reuse and a portfolio totaling more than 21 million square feet of office, retail, residential, industrial, hospitality and parking. 

For additional information about Bedrock, please visit bedrockdetroit.com or engage with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

About State of Michigan's Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME)

Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification works across state government, academia and private industry to enhance Michigan’s mobility ecosystem, including developing dynamic mobility and electrification policies and supporting the startup and scale up of emerging technologies and businesses. Learn more at MichiganBusiness.org/ofme

About Perrone Robotics: Perrone is a leading provider of autonomous vehicle systems. The company delivers mobility excellence via TONY® (short for "TO Navigate You"), a vehicle independent retrofit kit for use in the autonomous transit of people and goods in geo-fenced and localized operations. TONY embeds inside any vehicle type or model, for any job application to provide a complete "artificial driver" solution that brings full autonomy in a safety certifiable framework. Proven, piloted, and in commercial production, Perrone autonomous systems help commercial, municipal, and governmental customers increase transportation efficiencies, enhance safety, and accelerate zero-emission electric vehicle deployment. The company also offers a portfolio of existing turnkey autonomous shuttles and vehicles pre-integrated with the TONY AV-Retrofit kit.

The Connect AV Shuttle