The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation (HDOT) recently launched an autonomous electric passenger shuttle to augment the existing Wiki Wiki shuttle bus service at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
The four shuttle fleet, named after Miki, the Hawaiian word for agile, will be an 18-month pilot project. HDOT and its partners will use the project to evaluate ways to increase the efficiency of the intra-airport transportation service.
“We are proud to launch the Miki shuttle service which will provide additional convenience for our airport users,” HDOT Director Ed Sniffen said. “The autonomous electric vehicles add to our ongoing progress to transition our vehicle fleet to electric vehicles and will help meet the state’s sustainability goals.”
Each shuttle can hold 11 passengers, including the shuttle attendant, and can accommodate one wheelchair. They operate at a maximum speed of 10 miles per hour.
The shuttles will operating along the same route as the Wiki Wiki buses between the C and G gates and Terminals 1 and 2 between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily. Travelers also can board with carry-on baggage on the third level.
An attendant, who can take over manually at any time by utilizing a controller, will be on board at all times.