Sharad Agarwal has a prediction about driverless vehicles: "Autonomous public transportation is going to happen," he says, "and it's going to happen sooner than with taxis and cars." Agarwal leads the North American division of EasyMile, one of several startups offering autonomous vehicle shuttles to cities and transit agencies. He believes the relative simplicity of transit service makes it ideal for AV technology. With public transportation, "speeds are lower, distances are shorter, and the trips are repetitive," compared with automobile journeys. Companies like EasyMile have found a receptive audience among local officials, who were caught off guard a decade ago when another mobility innovation, ride hail, exploded onto the scene and siphoned off transit passengers.