The future of transportation arrived in Walnut Creek’s Rossmoor senior community with the recent launch of two cute-looking, shared autonomous vehicles called Presto that look like something out of Disneyland.
At the Aug. 1 rollout event sponsored by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, Beep Inc. and Rossmoor management, along with special guests from the city of Walnut Creek, a number of residents heard brief presentations and enjoyed refreshments but most of all hopped on board the new seven-passenger shuttles.
“The city is committed to helping our senior community and all our residents live healthy, active and productive lives as part of our commitment to making Walnut Creek a great place to live, work and play,” said the city’s Vice Mayor Cindy Darling. “Both the city and the Rossmoor community want to find solutions that increase independence for Rossmoor community members, and these shuttles are a great part of that effort.”
At a clip of 12 miles an hour for now, the fully electric shuttles will take passengers from Rossmoor’s Gateway Clubhouse parking lot on Oakmont Drive to the Tice Creek Fitness Center and back every 20 minutes on a preprogrammed loop from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The shuttles differ from Rossmoor’s Dial-a-Bus program, in that residents don’t have to dial a dispatch, schedule a ride and wait.
Resident Diane Schwendinger, who attended the rollout, said she is hopeful the shuttles (which are still in the pilot program phase) will expand to other parts of Rossmoor and add value to the community. The age-qualified community spans about 1.6 square miles and is home to approximately 9,200 homes within just more than 1,800 acres.
“It will be good additional transportation for residents here,” said Schwendinger, who moved to Rossmoor from Illinois more than six years ago. “So far, for me, I have not used it, because I live near the parking lot (one of its two stops) and walk to the fitness center.”
Danville Councilmember Newell Arnerich discussed how important these shuttles are to the senior community.
“Autonomous shuttle services offer targeted short-distance connections to facilities and other transportation options, especially in areas lacking public transit,” Arnerich said. “I am personally committed to improving transportation for seniors and people with disabilities, making it easier for them to navigate Contra Costa County.”
Made possible through a Federal Transit Administration grant, Arnerich sees the shuttles’ service expanding in Contra Costa County.
“Looking ahead, CCTA (the Contra Costa Transportation Authority) is planning to introduce autonomous vehicle services in the city of Martinez, connecting the county hospital with local residents,” he said.
“We are also collaborating with Bishop Ranch in San Ramon to deploy the third generation of autonomous vehicles, which will operate at local speed limits within the business park. Overall, our goal is to enhance lives by making transportation accessible to everyone, while improving the safety of our roads and highways.”
Lindy Johnson, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority’s external affairs director, said she had known previously abour her agency’s forward-thinking county transportation projects.
“But since coming on board (less than a year ago), I’ve really been in awe of just how much the agency is involved in thinking about the future of transportation everywhere,” she said.
Johnson talked about why this project is important to her.
“It’s because of its focus on innovation and the opportunity for our community to try something that could expand mobility options for those who may have limited or no access now,” she said. “I have had many residents of Rossmoor talk about neighbors or loved ones who can no longer drive and how difficult that is — how it restricts them and impacts their quality of life — I am excited that CCTA is asking ‘What can we do?’ and that we live in a community that is open to new ideas and solutions.”
Each shuttle has a trained attendant inside who can stop the vehicle in an emergency. Passengers must wear seatbelts while riding. Driven by Oxa (autonomous vehicle software), the shuttle is remotely monitored by the Beep Command Center to ensure operational safety at all times.
Residents Patrick and Arlene Zimmer, who moved to Rossmoor from the town of North East, New York, to follow their grandkids out west, said they found Rossmoor to be an active place to keep them busy in between family time. The couple said they enjoyed their first Presto ride at the launch and appreciated its safety features.
“The ride was smooth, comfortable and most importantly, uneventful! We liked the availability of seatbelts for safety too,” said Patrick Zimmer. “And being honest, we liked that there was an attendant there ‘just in case’ because we are still in the early stages of this autonomous vehicle journey.”
He also sees the value to having the pilot program in Rossmoor.
“Our community is probably an ideal application of this fixed-route test, because there are many of us who may not have access to a car, are unable to drive for health reasons or (face) bad weather for walking or biking, etc.,” said Zimmer. “Our grounds are pretty large, so there’s a big need for giving all the thousands of us here mobility and access to all the events and opportunities we have within our own grounds. It really helps us continue to build our community.”
Zimmer said Rossmoor is a vibrant, independent living community of people from age 55 to more than 100 and that he could imagine as many as 10 to 20 of the shared autonomous vehilces moving people to all the places on the grounds.
“We are proud, willing and excited to be part of this new transportation test,” he said. “Our resident community has demonstrated openness and willingness to new ideas. For example, we think these new autonomous vehicles may be oftentimes safer and easier than bikes and possibly walking in some of the more hilly and farther-apart sections of our huge ‘campus.’ ”
For more information online about Presto at Rossmoor, visit ridepresto.com/rossmoor.
Reach Charleen Earley, a freelance writer and journalism professor at Diablo Valley College, at [email protected] or 925-383-3072.
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