JFK Airport is embracing the future with its innovative self-driving shuttles.
These autonomous vehicles represent a significant leap forward in airport transportation, offering a glimpse into a world where technology ensures efficiency, safety, and added convenience. The shuttles, which are currently being tested, have the potential to revolutionize the way passengers navigate the sprawling airport complex. With room for eight passengers, these driverless shuttles are designed to provide a convenient and eco-friendly alternative to traditional airport buses.
The shuttles, which are owned by New Zealand-based company Ohmio, are planned to be in service through the summer and will have signage indicating they’re autonomous. But you won’t be alone with an automated vehicle. They will also be staffed by on-board safety attendants, who will greet and guide riders and currently serve as JFK shuttle bus drivers contracted through a different company.
It’s the next step in a series of tests of self-driving vehicles at local airports run by the Port Authority, officials said. Previous tests, including at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport, were done in empty parking lots without customers aboard.
Travelers dropping off or picking up their cars at JFK’s Parking Lot 9 — an enormous long-term parking lot connected to the AirTrain’s Lefferts Boulevard and Howard Beach stations — will be particularly happy for the extra convenience. They will be able to hop on the autonomous shuttles at any of the same more than dozen stops serviced by human-driven ones.
Seth Wainer, program director for innovation at the Port Authority said, “We foresee a situation where vehicles can safely convey passengers all over the airport footprint, and our hope here is that instead of having just one driver stuck in one vehicle, we can have one driver supervising more than one vehicle and really paying attention to the folks actually getting on and getting off”.
The ongoing $19 billion redevelopment project at JFK Airport is set to transform it into a world-class facility. However, with record-breaking summer travel numbers expected, there are additional traffic delays and congestion. This may be another way to deal with the challenge.
The Port Authority has tested self-driving vehicles since 2022, with its autonomous buses in its exclusive bus lane in and out of the Lincoln Tunnel, and last year at JFK, when it began testing a platoon of Ohmio shuttles.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration signed off on the use of the shuttles for passenger service at the airport’s Parking Lot 9, according to the authority.
