The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced today that customers at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) this summer will be able to participate in the agency’s first self-driving vehicle pilot to serve the traveling public. The agency has received approval from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to allow members of the public to ride in autonomous shuttles being tested within a large, on-airport parking lot to bring customers closer to their vehicles.
The autonomous vehicle pilot currently underway at JFK is the agency’s fourth such test of self-driving, or autonomous, technology at its major airports and the first to include unionized contract staff who currently drive airport shuttles as the self-driving shuttles’ safety monitors. The agency’s two previous tests of autonomous platooned vehicles were held at JFK’s Aqueduct Parking Lot during the past two summers, while a test of a self-driving shuttle was held in mixed traffic at Newark Liberty International Airport last year.
“We are preparing today for the future by moving forward with our tests of self-driving technology within safe, controlled environments such as our airports, which also happen to be the exact facilities where we want to put this technology into use. We thank ABM Aviation for working with us and providing staff to serve as safety monitors as an extra precaution and for customer service during these tests that will include the public,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “Autonomous platoons can give us the opportunity to get more airport customers where they want to go while they’re within our property so that we can serve more people safely and efficiently.”
“Safely incorporating self-driving technology at our facilities is part of the Port Authority’s future, and these tests help to prepare us for that eventuality by building a knowledge base on the possibilities and limits of these vehicles,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “We are redeveloping our airports now to be world class, which means incorporating world-class technology in every aspect of operations and customer experience as well.”
The three-monthlong test at JFK’s long-term parking Lot 9 features safety attendants on board who currently serve as JFK airport shuttle bus drivers contracted through ABM Aviation Inc. During the rides, all passengers must remain seated with a seat belt for their safety. The test vehicles are owned by Ohmio, a leading supplier of autonomous vehicle technology based in New Zealand and California, and are clearly marked with signage indicating that the vehicle is self-driving. Two 8-passenger vehicles will circulate around the perimeter of parking Lot 9 to bring customers closer to their parked cars, making 15 stops, including those for AirTrain JFK stations at Howard Beach and Lefferts Blvd. Customers may ride the self-driving test shuttles at no cost beginning Tuesday, July 16.
The Port Authority has been testing self-driving technology since 2022 when the agency successfully tested autonomous platooning and lane-keeping technology on retrofitted buses in its Exclusive Bus Lane, which expedites bus travel into and out of the Lincoln Tunnel during rush hours. In 2023, JFK became the first North American airport to host a demonstration of a self-driving platoon of three vehicles. During that test, the agency sought to evaluate the safety and efficiency of multiple self-driving vehicles traveling in unison as a potential way to move a large number of passengers in a single movement. Other potential uses of self-driving shuttle platoons include moving passengers for first-mile/last-mile trips, such as journeys between an AirTrain station and a distant airport facility, such as car rental offices.
