Inside The Radical Plan To Launch A Fleet Of Self-Driving Shuttles In Beverly Hills

For most Americans, the name Beverly Hills probably conjures images of celebrities, paparazzi, fancy cars and trendy nightclubs. But if all goes according to Mayor John Mirisch's plan, the City of Beverly Hills could become known for something entirely different: Mirisch wants to make his affluent Southern California city the first in America to have a fully autonomous fleet of shuttles, i.e. driverless cars that use sensing technology to ferry passengers all around town. "I loved'The Jetsons' when I was a kid, but I don't think I ever thought of a municipal autonomous shuttle system until fairly recently, in the past couple of years," Mirisch said in an interview. "We want to encourage people to walk more, to bike more, but this is also a great solution." Nationally, the conversation around self-driving cars is reaching a fever pitch.