EasyMile shuttle's sudden stop throws passenger from seat in Columbus

What happened

On February 20, 2020, an EasyMile autonomous shuttle running the Linden LEAP route in Columbus, Ohio, was pulling away from the Douglas Recreation Center stop with two passengers and a human operator on board. The pilot service had launched earlier that month.

Traveling at 7.1 mph, the shuttle made a sudden emergency stop. A 44-year-old passenger fell from her seat to the floor.

The system involved

Linden LEAP was a neighborhood shuttle pilot run by Smart Columbus using low-speed autonomous shuttles made by EasyMile, with a human operator riding on board. According to the later review, the sudden stop was triggered by an internal safety mechanism on the vehicle. Passenger seat belts, warning signage and audio alerts were added afterward under the safety plan agreed with NHTSA.

Investigation and response

Later in February 2020, NHTSA ordered EasyMile to suspend passenger service on 16 shuttles operating in 10 US cities while it examined the incident. EasyMile said the braking was the safest response but had unfortunately caused a passenger to fall.

A later review found that an internal safety mechanism was triggered as the shuttle departed the stop. Smart Columbus said the cause was a slight deviation in the steering of the vehicle. In May 2020 NHTSA outlined conditions for resuming service under a Safety Passenger Enhancement Plan developed with EasyMile, including adding seat belts, signage and audio announcements warning of sudden stops, and training operators to remind passengers to hold on. Mass Transit reported that the Linden LEAP’s local operator, EmpowerBus, had ceased operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, so a new operator was needed before the route could restart.

What is not established

The sources opened for this entry describe the passenger falling to the floor but do not detail the extent of her injuries; other reports returned in search results described them as minor and said she sought medical attention.