FILE PHOTO: An EasyMile EZ10 shared autonomous vehicle is seen during a deployment demonstration at Bishop Ranch in San Ramon, California March 6, 2017. REUTERS/Stephen Lam/File Photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. auto safety regulators said on Tuesday they had ordered a suspension of passenger operations for 16 autonomous shuttles operated by French-based EasyMile after a passenger was injured in an unexplained braking incident.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said battery-operated buses will be suspended in 10 U.S. states including Utah, Texas, Colorado, New Jersey, Florida, Ohio, California and Virginia pending an examination of “safety issues related to both vehicle technology and operations.”
NHTSA added it “will continue to work with all affected parties, including EasyMile and local authorities, to evaluate potential future vehicle operations, consistent with applicable legal requirements and public safety.” EasyMile did not immediately comment.
In July, several news outlets in Utah reported a 76-year-old state employee was injured and required medical assistance at a local hospital when the EasyMile shuttle he was in came to an abrupt stop.
A Utah official told the Deseret News the maximum speed was reduced after the incident and the company told media outlets it added signs to tell riders the vehicle makes sudden stops. The company told the newspaper “the vehicle stopped abruptly in response to a detected obstacle, as it is programmed to do.”
Earlier this month, the city of Gainesville, Florida, began using an EasyMile driverless shuttle in the city’s downtown. The shuttles have been operating on a pre-planned route starting on Southwest 2nd Avenue and ending on the University of Florida campus.
Also this month, the city of Columbus, Ohio, announced what EasyMile called the deployment of the first public self-driving shuttle in a residential area. The two EasyMile shuttles have been servicing a 2.9-mile route at speeds of up to 25 mph and arriving at each of four stops roughly every 12 minutes, the company said. EasyMile said a human operator rides aboard each vehicle with access to driving controls at all times.
EasyMile, founded in 2014, has operations around the world.
Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese and Richard Chang