RAPID On-Demand AV Pilot Ends After Success in Arlington
Published on May 29, 2025
By Susan Schrock, Office of Communication
The City of Arlington and its partners are celebrating the successful completion of its innovative Arlington RAPID on-demand autonomous vehicle service.
RAPID, or “Rideshare, Automation, and Payment Integration Demonstration,” achieved several significant milestones since the pilot program was launched in 2021 through a partnership between the City, Via, May Mobility and The University of Texas at Arlington. This includes being the first on-demand autonomous vehicle service fully integrated with public transit in the United States and the longest-running on-demand autonomous vehicle service in the nation. The service, funded through grants provided by the Federal Transit Administration and the North Central Texas Council of Governments, concludes on Friday, May 30.
Arlington RAPID’s fleet of four autonomous vehicles served Downtown Arlington and UTA campus five days a week. Over the course of the program, RAPID successfully delivered more than 113,000 rides, earning an impressive average rider rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars. The service became a vital transportation option for many, with 94% of riders being repeat users, and an impressive 79% utilizing the service weekly or daily.
Technologically, RAPID also demonstrated significant advancements in autonomous operation. Over its lifespan, the service operated in autonomy 80% of the time, with this figure steadily improving from an initial average of around 65% to approximately 90% autonomy in its later stages. The technology work by Via and May Mobility to fully integrate the autonomous fleet onto the existing Arlington On-Demand service for ride booking, fare payment, and routing was also a substantial success of the service.
Arlington RAPID, recognized both nationally and internationally, further solidified Arlington's position as a national leader in the integration of autonomous vehicle technology with public transportation. In 2024, UTA and City of Arlington received the Tech-InnovaCity Seoul Smart City Prize for Institutions. The Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association recognized the program with a Transportation Planning award in 2023 and the Texas Parking and Transportation Association bestowed the Excellence Award to UTA in 2022 for transportation improvements, efficiencies and high service levels it was able to provide to the UTA community through Arlington RAPID.
"Arlington RAPID's successful completion marks a significant leap forward in the integration of autonomous technology with public transit. This pioneering on-demand service has not only provided more than 113,000 trips with exceptional rider satisfaction but has also demonstrated substantial advancements in autonomous operation. Arlington is proud to continue to lead the way in exploring innovative transportation solutions that enhance accessibility and efficiency for our community," said Ann Foss, the Transportation Department’s planning and program manager.
Arlington RAPID was the City of Arlington’s third autonomous vehicle public transportation pilot service, following the off-street Milo shuttle service that ran in the Entertainment District from 2017 to 2018 and the on-street drive.ai service that also ran in the Entertainment District from 2018 to 2019.