OUT IN THE WORLD WITHOUT A CAR: To Treasure Island and beyond


By Steve Price

My wife Janet and I rode our e-bikes 14 miles from our home in El Cerrito to Treasure Island in San Francisco, where we rode on an autonomous electric shuttle called the Loop for a 20-minute loop around the northern end of the island. After that we took our bikes on the new Treasure Island Ferry across the bay to the Ferry Terminal in San Francisco, caught a BART train, and rode home (in between, we had a beer at Woods Beer and Wine Co. in the 1939 World's Fair terminal)

The Loop shuttle is not fully autonomous — we had a friendly, informative operator in the vehicle with us. Nevertheless the vehicle did navigate the streets on its own: steering, stopping, and going to predetermined boarding locations. It is capable of traveling at up to 15 mph. Our operator said that the vehicle runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on a single charge. (He works for Beep, Inc., an autonomous mobility solution company.) The service is a pilot that ends in April 2024, and the San Francisco Transportation Authority is seeking public input.

On the Bay Bridge

Arriving to Treasure Island

The Loop, a self-driving transit shuttle

Our trusty operator to guard against problems during the Loop’s pilot run

An enthusiastic family we met on the Loop

Riding the small ferry boat from Treasure Island to the Ferry Terminal in downtown San Francisco

Top photo: Janet bicycling under the MacArthur Maze on the way to the Bay Bridge



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