Optimus Ride launches AV service at Brooklyn Navy Yard

Optimus Ride is operating an autonomous vehicle (AV) service at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York and expects to transport more than 16,000 passengers per month. The 300-acre industrial park has more than 400 manufacturing businesses and 10,000 employees on site. Dr. Ryan Chin, Optimus co-founder, says the system will “provide access to and experience with autonomy for thousands of people, helping to increase acceptance and confidence of this new technology”. Optimus is operating six AVs between the NY
August 27, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
Optimus Ride is operating an autonomous vehicle (AV) service at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York and expects to transport more than 16,000 passengers per month.


The 300-acre industrial park has more than 400 manufacturing businesses and 10,000 employees on site.

Dr. Ryan Chin, Optimus co-founder, says the system will “provide access to and experience with autonomy for thousands of people, helping to increase acceptance and confidence of this new technology”.

Optimus is operating six AVs between the NYC Ferry Stop at Dock 72 and the Yard’s Cumberland Gate at Flushing Avenue.

Initially, a safety driver and software operator will remain onboard when the vehicle is in operation. Each vehicle will be able to carry up to four passengers on a loop between the dock and Cumberland Gate. During weekends, the service will run between the dock and Building 77.

The deployment comes as the yard undergoes a $1 billion expansion, which is expected to increase jobs in the area from 10,000 to 20,000 by 2021.

Additionally, the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC) announced a $2.5 billion plan to create 10,000 additional jobs in manufacturing buildings, bringing the total number to 30,000 in coming decades. BNYDC will also aim to provide improved lighting and streets to make the area more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly.

Related Content

  • November 30, 2020
    £100m UK C/AV site opens next March
    Assured CAV plans to develop and test vehicles safely 'at the limit of controllability'
    Read More
  • September 12, 2019
    Zenzic identifies ‘golden threads’ to accelerate AV roll-out
    A UK organisation has identified 500 ‘milestones’ to be passed in order to get connected and autonomous vehicles (C/AVs) on the road in numbers by 2030. Zenzic, which was set up by government and industry to coordinate a national platform for testing and developing C/AVs, has launched the UK Connected and Automated Mobility Roadmap to 2030. It identifies six ‘golden threads’ which highlight areas dependent on cross-industry collaboration to make self-driving services accessible to the public by the end of
    Read More
  • May 24, 2019
    Aimsun unveils test platform for AVs in digital cities
    Aimsun has released a software platform for the large-scale design and validation of path planning algorithms for autonomous vehicles (AV). The company says Aimsun Auto allows test vehicles to drive inside digital cities - virtual copies of transportation networks, where users can safely explore the limits of AV technology. Paolo Rinelli, global head of product management at Aimsun, says Auto removes the need to drive around seeking conditions that users want to test or to “script each actor’s behaviour
    Read More
  • May 30, 2019
    InDriver launches ride-hailing service in South Africa
    InDriver has launched its ride-hailing service in Johannesburg, South Africa, which allows the driver and rider to negotiate lower fares. A report by IT News Africa says drivers can use the InDriver app to accept or ignore offers as well as negotiate for a higher price. Rifqa Carr, InDriver spokesperson says: “Drivers have the freedom to choose whichever ride request they like, without any risk of being penalised. They’re also able to see the full fare, from point A to point B, and can then decide
    Read More

Highlighted Content