Peoria visitors will be able to hop on a driverless shuttle beginning Feb. 22.

The completely electric shuttle will run daily from noon to 6 p.m. in the P83 dining and entertainment district that includes the spring-training ballpark for the Seattle Mariners and the San Diego Padres.

The route will not go directly to the Peoria Sports Complex, but riders will be a short walk away.

The shuttle will drive a nearly straight line along Arrowhead Fountains Center Drive, just west of 83rd Avenue, from Huntington University up to the Hampton Inn hotel south of Bell Road, where it will be stored and charged overnight.

Mayor Cathy Carlat said Peoria is looking to the future of transportation. "We always need to be on the lookout for what's happening next," she said.

No driver, steering wheel or pedals

Not only will the shuttle not have a driver, it won't have a steering wheel or pedals.

Peoria will hire an attendant who will be on board and able to stop the shuttle via computer.

The shuttle can hold 10 passengers and will top out at 15 to 18 mph, Peoria Public Works Director Kevin Burke said.

Peoria will pay Florida-based autonomous vehicle company Beep $78,500 for the pilot project, which will last 60 days.

"We are very excited to be a part of this collaboration to offer a safe, green and intelligent mobility solution so Peoria’s residents and visitors can have an even more exciting spring training experience," Beep CEO Joe Moye said in a statement.

Another free bus service could expand

Peoria last year approved a free-to-ride circulator bus, called POGO, that connects the suburb's rapidly growing north to the Arrowhead mall and the P83 district.

City staff at a study session on Tuesday said they're looking to expand that service — which is not autonomous — to run later and serve more of the city.

The proposal would have the buses running on weekends for the first time, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and serve five new areas.

Those five areas could change before the expansion goes to a City Council vote, Burke said. The proposed areas are:

Vistancia, north of Loop 303 and Happy Valley Road.

Terramar/Westwing area, north of Happy Valley Road between Lake Pleasant Parkway and 67th Avenue.

Ventana Lakes, near Beardsley Road and 107th Avenue.

Central area, near Old Town.

Country Meadows, on Northern Avenue just west of Loop 101.

It would take about an hour to get from Vistancia to Old Town, Burke said.

Reach reporter Joshua Bowling at jbowling@azcentral.com or 602-444-8138. Follow him on Twitter @MrJoshuaBowling.

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