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Uber. It was the first known pedes-

trian death involving a self-driving

vehicle, though three Tesla drivers

also have died in the last several

years in crashes that happened af-

ter an autopilot driver-assistance

system was activated.

And self-driving cars that rely

on gas will still spew greenhouse

gases that contribute to climate

change.

Still, autonomous vehicles con-

tinue to be tested in more than a

dozen communities around the

country, according to Samuel I.

Schwartz, a transportation con-

sultant and author of “No One at

the Wheel.” He added that almost

all of these self-driving cars are

confined to enclosed areas, though

a few have operated on a limited

basis on public roads.

“In 2017, autonomous vehicles

were two years away from hitting

the street,” Mr. Schwartz said. “In

2019, they are at least five years

away. Just about everybody that

promised autonomous vehicles by

2019 has retrenched. It’s far more

complicated than they imagined.”

In New York City, autonomous

vehicles are likely a long way from

being allowed on public roads.

For now, they are relegated to a

fleet of six electric Polaris vehicles

at the Navy Yard that have been

retrofitted with laser scanners,

cameras and a sophisticated com-

puter system. Just look for the

shiny mini tram with the “self-

driving” sign.

“I think it’s absolutely cool, but

Driverless cars have rolled into
New York City, finally.
But don’t expect to see them
traveling down Fifth Avenue any-
time soon.
The cars have been corralled be-
hind the gates of the sprawling
Brooklyn Navy Yard — away from
city streets teeming with cars,
bikes and pedestrians.
The cars will begin shuttling
people on Wednesday around a
loop that is just over one mile at
the yard, a 300-acre, privately op-
erated manufacturing and tech-
nology hub.
They will run seven days a week
to meet passengers going to and
from a recently opened ferry land-
ing. There is no charge for a ride
and anyone can hop in.
Autonomous vehicles have been
heralded as the next revolution in
transportation, promising to move
people and goods far more effi-
ciently than cars dependent on
drivers.
Advocates say the self-driving
technology can be harnessed to in-
crease the reliability and safety of
taxis, Ubers and buses, as well as
to make truck deliveries and to op-
erate construction machinery.
They also say it can reduce the
need for personal cars and parking
spaces in congested cities.
But some of this enthusiasm
waned after a woman walking a bi-
cycle on a street in Tempe, Ariz.,
was fatally struck last year by a
self-driving car being tested by

anything can happen,” said Frank

Davis, a fire safety engineer who

was visiting the yard and plans to

take a ride though he remains con-

cerned about the overall safety of

self-driving cars. “For a shuttle,

it’s fine, but on the road, no. People

fail, so does technology.”

The cars at the Navy Yard are

operated by Optimus Ride, a start-

up company founded in 2015 by

five graduates and researchers

from the Massachusetts Institute

of Technology.

Since then, the company has

provided more than 20,000 auton-

omous vehicle rides, mostly

around Boston’s Seaport neigh-

borhood, where it is based, and

also in a residential community in

South Weymouth, Mass., a Boston

suburb. The cars have supple-

mented local bus and train service

by getting riders to stations.

Passengers on Optimus Ride

vehicles are never onboard by

themselves. A team of two people

— a safety driver and a software

operator — goes on every ride to

take over the controls if needed,

and to collect data to help develop

a comprehensive driverless tech-

nology system.

The company has not had any

accidents or injuries involving the

driverless cars, said Ryan Chin, a

co-founder of Optimus Ride and

the chief executive.

“Most accidents are caused by

human error,” said Mr. Chin, in-

cluding people driving while tex-

ting or intoxicated, and falling

asleep behind the wheel. “Those

are all human characteristics we

can actually program out of the ve-

hicle. Our computers will never

get tired as long as there’s power.”

Mr. Chin met David Ehrenberg,

the president and chief executive

of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Devel-

opment Corporation, a nonprofit

that manages the site, at a confer-

ence years ago. The two started

talking, and soon Mr. Chin was

touring the yard where battleships

like the Missouri were once built.

The yard has become a laborato-

ry for urban technology, in part be-

cause fewer regulations and re-

strictions exist there than on pub-

lic streets. It is a city within a city,

with 400 companies and 10,

workers. Citi Bike, the bike-share

program, was tried out at the yard

before starting in Manhattan.

“I said, ‘This is the perfect land-

ing spot for an autonomous car in

New York,’ ” Mr. Ehrenberg re-

called telling Mr. Chin. “There is —

we think — no better place than

the Navy Yard to test and learn

about new technologies.”

Mr. Ehrenberg’s organization

contracted with Optimus for two

years to provide shuttles for a re-

cently launched city ferry landing

— there have been 40,000 ferry

trips since May — and to support

local job development. It declined

to disclose how much it paid, citing

the confidentiality of the agree-

ment. No public money was used.

Optimus opened an office at the

yard, and hired 18 local workers

with salaries ranging from $20 to

$65 an hour, including recent engi-

neering graduates of the New

York City College of Technology,

which is part of the City University

of New York. It is also working

with a high school at the yard to

create an internship program.

The driverless cars arrived in

April for test runs and are impossi-

ble to miss.

“It’s a self-driving machine, I’ve

never seen one before,” said Quinn

Castillo, a security officer at the

yard. “When is it going to start tak-

ing passengers?”

But Julia Janicelli, who works

for a fashion company at the yard,

said she did not find a driverless

car all that appealing. Would she

try it? “Maybe if I’m really bored

at lunch one day but I wouldn’t

seek it out,” she said.

Matt Cortright, an architectural

designer who rides his bike to

work (the cars have a bike rack),

said that a driverless car is still a

car. “My general perception is we

have too many cars already and

adding cars without drivers does-

n’t solve the problem,” he said.

Plus, he added, “If I get hit by a

car, I want to be able to sue the per-

son driving it.”

On a test run recently, Greg

Zborowski, a systems engineer for

Optimus, slid behind the wheel

and pressed a green button. The

car started and then accelerated.

It is programmed to go no faster

than 15 miles per hour and to obey

all traffic rules.

At a stop sign, it came to a full

stop. It inched forward to clear a

blind spot, and made a left turn fol-

lowed by a quick right. Later, it

swerved around a driver opening

his car door.

“No hands,” Mr. Zborowski said,

holding up his arms. “At no point

am I interacting with it.”

Ruijie He, the vice president of

engineering for Optimus, sat be-

side him with a laptop connected

to the dashboard. The screen

showed the car’s real-time calcula-

tions as its sensors noted other

cars, pedestrians and cyclists.

Not long ago, Mr. He hit the

brakes when a man on his phone

darted in front of the car. The car is

programmed to stop on its own,

but Mr. He said he did not want to

take any chances.

This time, there was no excite-

ment. The car rolled to a stop and

the ride was over.

“Pretty uneventful, but that’s

what we’re trying for,” Mr. He said.

“It should be boring.”

Poised to Take the Wheel

At the Navy Yard: No One

BRITTAINY NEWMAN/THE NEW YORK TIMES

By WINNIE HU

A fleet of driverless cars will

begin shuttling people on

Wednesday around a loop at

the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Contact the Newsroom

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Editorials

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NEW YORK

An article on Monday about an
algae bloom that is contaminating
Lake Hopatcong misstated the
requirements for septic tanks in
Jefferson Township, N.J. The
tanks must be pumped out every
three years, not yearly. It also
misidentified the administration
that revived the Lake Hopatcong
Commission. It was renewed
under former Gov. Chris Christie’s
administration, not Gov. Philip D.
Murphy’s.

An article on Friday about the
Rev. LaKeesha Walrond, who
recently became president of New
York Theological Seminary, re-
ferred incorrectly to her presiden-

cy’s distinction. She is the first

African-American woman and the

first woman to serve as its presi-

dent in a permanent capacity, but

not the first African-American.

BUSINESS

An article on Thursday about the

accused sex trafficker Jeffrey

Epstein and his fascination with

eugenics misstated the name of a

group to which a charity estab-

lished by Mr. Epstein donated

$20,000 in 2011. It was the World

Transhumanist Association, not

the Worldwide Transhumanist

Association.

An article on Friday about the

complications that the adoption of

self-driving cars could pose for

communities and urban planners

misstated the name for a trans-

portation standards-setting orga-

nization. It is SAE International,

not the Society of Automotive

Engineers.

SPORTS

A tennis item in the sports Score-

board on Saturday referred incor-

rectly to Svetlana Teryseva, a

Russian official who was sus-

pended by the Tennis Integrity

Unit. She is a woman.

ARTS

An article on Friday about the

South African musician Abdullah

Ibrahim referred incorrectly to

his marriage to Sathima Bea

Benjamin. They were divorced in

2011; they did not remain married

until her death in 2013.

Errors are corrected during the press

run whenever possible, so some errors

noted here may not have appeared in

all editions.

Corrections