Skip the rideshare. Call the robot to get you to the airport.
San Jose has teamed up with a local tech startup to develop a driverless option for those looking to get to the airport from a nearby transportation hub.
Glydways, a company that's making the driverless, electric-powered pods, is working with the city to design a system to ferry people the 3.5 miles between Diridon Station and San Jose Mineta International Airport.
The trip will be faster than a rideshare or a bus, largely because it will run on its own tramway and won't need a driver.
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"If you're going to take a bus, you've got at least one interchange, possibly two," Glydways founder Mark Seeger said. "And if you take an Uber, under the best circumstances, you're at least half an hour away or worse with traffic. With us, you're between six and eight minutes away, all the time, anytime, 24/7."
There's still a lot of work to do, but the city says it's on board.
"We need a lot more transit," transportation department policy manager Ramses Madou said.
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The city also wants people to think of public transit as faster and even more exclusive than their own cars.
"It would have it's own roadway," Madou said. "Some of it might be underground. Some of it'll be above ground. Some of it might be on the ground but separated from any mixed traffic. That'll be from Diridon to the airport."
The whole system could run as much as $500 million. Funding is expected to come both from the city and private investors.
Those involved said things could get rolling in four to five years.
