The small shuttles will seat four passengers and two safety drivers, and Saripalli said the vehicles will move at a speed of around 7 miles per hour between five different pick-up and drop-off points along a set clockwise loop in Downtown Bryan.

The route begins at the Roy Kelly Parking Garage heading south on Regent Avenue, turning west onto 28th Street, then turning north onto South Main Street and east onto 26th Street. The route twice crosses the railroad tracks between Regent Avenue and South Main Street.

Per the agreement, the city of Bryan will create areas along the route to load and unload shuttle passengers. Those zones will be marked by sandwich board signage during hours of operation. Through a separate agreement with the Brazos Transit District, the shuttles will be parked and stored in the public parking garage.

Saripalli said the shuttles follow a pre-determined path but are able to stop for pedestrians, cyclists or other obstacles using a laser sensor, cameras and other technology to detect their surroundings. The drivers of the vehicles also are able to take over at any time.

While there are many private companies testing similar technology, Saripalli said it will be valuable for a public university to be able to collect and share that data.