San Jose could use autonomous cars as a form of public transportation within the next decade.
City leaders voted unanimously last week to move forward with a significant transit plan that would haul people about 3.5 miles from the city’s bus and Caltrain station to San Jose Mineta International Airport.
The city has been trying to find a solution to this transportation gap since 2000, city leaders said, now adopting a plan that would allow pod-like cars to move through private roads.
“We’re excited to actually be reaching this stage to move into an exploratory stage with our private sector partners to look at innovative new ways of connecting San Jose International Airport with downtown and Diridon Station,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said during the city meeting.
The transportation system would use Glydways vehicles, owned by Plenary America. These automated electric transit cars would have their own dedicated roadway, separate from traffic, Brian Stanke, project manager of the connecting service, told SFGATE.
The vehicles would hold up to four people and their luggage or two people and a wheelchair or bicycle, Stanke said. It’s estimated to take “less than 10 minutes” for the vehicles to travel the approximate 4 miles from Diridon Station to the airport terminal, Stanke said. The vehicles would travel around 30 mph, he added.
Stanke said due to inflation, it’s too early to estimate the cost of the ride service.
The Glydways cars, which city leaders categorized as personal rapid transit (PRT) or podcars, would connect Diridon Station with SJC’s Terminal B, according to the city memorandum. The project also aims to include an “intra-airport connector,” which would connect Terminal B with Terminal A, parking lots and future expansions, the memorandum stated. The vehicle would be called “on demand” with a smartphone app, project leaders said during the meeting.
Stanke said the transit system may have intermediate stations in addition to the two stops, but that has yet to be determined. He said the proposal aims to deploy 200 vehicles.
Local transportation unions and community members criticized the proposal, saying the transportation system is not realistic because San Jose would be the first to deploy this technology.
“There are multiple concerns with this proposed project, including the fact that some of the mentioned technologies are not yet available,” Raj Singh, a member of the Valley Transportation Authority’s labor union, said during the meeting. “There is uncertainty around funding beyond the initial phases. This project seems very unrealistic and may not be feasible.”
Singh and other community members also added that the current transportation systems, including the Valley Transportation Authority light rail, could be improved instead. “This venture will degrade our current public transit system and isolate all the underserved people,” John Courtney, president of the VTA labor union, said. “Passing this resolution would be a grave mistake and another drain on San Jose’s limited tax funds.”
The council voted on this initiative after issuing a request for proposals in May 2022, asking transportation innovators to submit ideas for the connecting service. Although project leaders have yet to determine the cost for the selected transit system, the initial request for proposals asked that the proposed systems cost less than $500 million.
San Jose officials received 23 proposals, including one submission from Elon Musk’s firm the Boring Company, which uses automated Teslas in underground tunnels.
This initiative comes as Diridon Station, adjacent to SAP Center, is slated for multiple expansions, including a BART and Caltrain extension, city leaders said. The airport connecting service is one of the 14 projects in accordance with the VTA’s sales tax program.
The program, formally titled Measure A, was approved by Santa Clara County voters in November 2000 and allowed a 30-year half-cent sales tax for public transportation improvements and operations.
This phase of the project will study the feasibility of the transit system, the memorandum states. Stanke said city staff and relevant partners will complete this phase in six to 12 months, and then the City Council will decide if it will advance the project to the next phase. At the end of the first phase, city officials will report several findings, including the estimated range of expenses.
If the transit system passes through the first phase, the next step would be determining its design and environmental clearance, Stanke said. City leaders hope to initiate the system’s construction by 2028, he said.
