Would you ride? METRO to start driverless bus pilot program

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houston's METRO bus system is looking to embark on a pilot project that would take drivers out of the driver seat.

METRO officials are partnering with the city of Houston and others to explore driverless bus programs. The three-month pilot program will be on the campus of Texas Southern University with a small bus at slow speeds, according to METRO spokesman Jerome Gray.

"This is an exciting project that could very well enhance how we provide public transit services," Gray said.

METRO was named as an Autonomous Vehicle Proving Ground by the U.S. Department of Transportation in part for its miles of HOV lanes that could easily work as testing lanes, as well as its bus and train stops across the area.

Other sites in the area that are part of the proving grounds are the Texas Medical Center and the Port of Houston.

Those proving grounds, only 10 across the nation, "will foster innovations that can safely transform personal and commercial mobility, expand capacity, and open new doors to disadvantaged people and communities," according to a USDOT press release.