Informed Opinions of Self-Driving Cars

In a room full of people, I ask for a show of hands, “If you have an opinion on self-driving cars, raise your hand.” Nearly all hands go up. “Now if you’ve actually been in a self-driving car, keep your hand up.” Nearly all hands go down.

Think about it. What if a new restaurant opened and everyone gave it a review, and yet nobody had eaten there?

At May Mobility, we are focused on accelerating toward informed opinions of self-driving cars. On Dec. 10th, we aligned our actions with our purpose and launched an open-to-the-public shuttle service in Columbus, OH.

Our open invitation to you: Ride, Decide, and Share.

• Come Ride with us, today. We operate from 6am-10pm, 7 days a week, on the Scioto Mile.
• Decide for yourself. Is this the next great technology like the cell phone or is it more like the forgotten Betamax?
• And Share your story. Drop us a line and tell us about your experience via support@maymobility.com or tag us on social #maymobility.

Here is what our riders in Columbus had to say…

“This is so amazing.”

“Safe and fun ride. Friendly and personable operator :)”

“Lovely ride. Lots of fun. Hope you add a stop at Nationwide Arena.”

“This is the best thing in Columbus!”

“This is the future of transportation.”

“Easy Convenient stops; great asset to Columbus.”

“Love the glass top. Very unique.”

“It was easy & smooth — I almost forgot there was no driver.”

“Very nice ride — comfortable for my 6'4'’ height.”

“Very rider friendly.”

“Quick, fast, predicable transport.”

“Fascinating technology. Flawless operation.”

“The conversation is very interesting, comfortable ride. The view gives you the feeling of traveling outside.”

These riders hopped on at the COSI stop. They park in the garage under COSI and then work on the other side of the river. “It’s a long walk over the river, and cold, and it’s a hill.” There is a free diesel shuttle bus that is supposed to pick them up, but it blew right past them today. “We saw your shuttle and hopped in. We heard about it. Wow, it’s toasty warm in here. Feels great. Many of the people that work with me make minimum wage. Asking them to pay part of their wage to park downtown is tough. Parking across the river is cheaper. I wonder how many will start riding this shuttle?”

This is Taylor. This is her 5th ride. (May service started only 3 days ago.) She works downtown. “All the parking lots are full. They all have a waiting list. Can you believe that? I can’t park downtown. Even if I wanted to pay the extra money, or even if my employer was willing to subsidize my parking, I can’t park downtown. So I park further out, across the river, under COSI. And this is amazing that I can ride the autonomous shuttle. I’m so happy.”

First-time riders that live in downtown Columbus. They were out for a walk, and stopped in the SMRT Columbus Experience Center and then came out to the May stop to try out the shuttle. “I moved here in 1978. I’ve seen the rise and fall and rise of this city. It’s amazing how Uber and Lyft — and now this — are reshaping getting around an urban center. I can just leave my car at home. It’s amazing.”

These riders work at SMRT Columbus and are excited to be apart of the start. No one knows how cities and self-driving vehicles will evolve, but with a bias towards action, May is kickstarting the journey.

Chatted these riders up today about transit, and business, and good ole curiosity. At the end of the ride, as I opened the door for them to get out, I asked a compound question: “How did you hear about May, were you just out on a walk and you saw the shuttle?” They responded in unison, “Not a walk, a run.” And they stepped out of the vehicle and broke into a trot until they were out of sight.

This is Tess Elshoff. She has been the president of Ohio’s State Board of Education for the last 8 years and this is her last week in office. She said riding the shuttles has been on her “final days in Columbus bucket list” for months since she heard they were coming to the city. She was all smiles during the whole ride and can’t wait to take her kids when they’re in town this weekend!

This is Brenda Jones. She walked by the May shuttle today and paused…and paused…and then turned to me and said, “I saw these on the news. I walk here every day. I’ve seen them around recently.” I asked if she would like to go for a ride? She declined, “No, I’m just walking today.” 15 minutes later, she came back and rode the shuttle. I asked, “Why did you change your mind, come back, and decide to ride today?” Her reply, “I saw it on the news and was like wow they are autonomous. It’s free. And [flattery will get you everywhere] I ran into you and you were so nice to talk to.” So, we rode and she opened up about being a little scared by self-driving cars. For her, it was the unknown. My final question: “Congrats, now you’ve been in an autonomous vehicle, how was it?” Brenda left me with this: “You wouldn’t even know it was driving itself. In a way, it reminds me of the bus service. [Laughs.] You make stops. I can get around. That was great! I’ll tell my co-workers. And I’ll bring my husband so we can ride together.”

These riders, from Nationwide Insurance, came to experience the self-driving tech in action. During their ride, while rounding a corner, the shuttle’s tire bumped the curb. The onboard Fleet Attendant, Lisa, said to the riders: “We’re all good. Did you feel that? May Mobility prioritizes safety, rider experience, and autonomy.” “We bumped the curb,” she reports into her headset. Again addressing the riders she says, “I’ve reported that bump to base, and the engineers will fix it by the time we go around that corner again.” One of the riders quips, “My wife hits the curb all the time — no big thing to me.”

“I came in from the suburbs to try it out. I parked over at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. I’ve seen some stuff. This is pretty impressive.”

Come join us as we accelerate toward the future. Be a part of the start: ride, decide, and share your informed opinions of self-driving cars. #maymobility

Clearly, smiles are a #PartOfTheStart.