MSU welcomes its new autonomous shuttle service

MISSISSIPPI STATE, Miss. (WCBI) – Two electric, self-driving shuttles arrived on the MSU campus this week.

On Friday afternoon, MSU held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially unveil the shuttle
system to the campus.

Two electric, self-driving shuttles arrived on MSU’s campus this week.

“I think it’s really cool that Mississippi State has something so advanced and like something new,” MSU student Lauren Hall said.

“I saw her yesterday for the first time. It was super cool. I don’t know of anywhere else that does that, and I think it’s going to be a really big factor in hopefully getting more students to come here,” MSU student Margaret Ann said.

Mississippi State partnered with Beep, Inc., an autonomous bus system, to bring these vehicles to campus.

“So we have them on campus as a pilot project that will last three months and it’s really to test this autonomous technology that grows and evolves in transportation systems,” said Jeremiah Dumas, MSU’s executive director of transportation.

This is the first time a vehicle of its kind has been brought to Mississippi and the Southeastern Conference.

MSU hopes to eventually bring Beep to the community.

“The goal with this is if it’s a technology that proves to be worthy, to expand that technology to both the city of Starkville and the campus,” Dumas said.

Throughout the pilot period, Mississippi State is evaluating whether the shuttle meets the needs of students who will ride it frequently.

“We want it to be where it needs to be on schedule, work well with our traffic patterns and our campus landscapes, and you know when you look at the Cotton District and events and people and pedestrians and bikers. You know how it plays out with all those people that we see ebb and flow with on our campus every day,” Dumas said.

The free autonomous bus can accommodate 11 passengers.

An attendant will also be present during all rides in case there is an emergency.

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