08 May East County Hopes On-Demand Driverless Cars Will Help With Commute

Glydcar is a personal vehicle designed for public transportation. Glydcars autonomously move in dedicated lanes, carrying up to 4 passengers directly to their destination with no stops and with space for items such as bikes and luggage. (Glydways via Bay City News)

By Aly Brown
Bay City News

Regional East Bay leaders gathered Tuesday for a press conference and unveiling of a new autonomous commuter vehicle that is expected to serve Eastern Contra Costa County by 2030.

During a ceremony held at San Ramon’s Roundhouse Market and Convention Center, Antioch Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe, Contra Costa Transportation Authority Executive Director Tim Haile and Glydways CEO Gokul Hemmady together presented East Contra Costa County’s first on-demand driverless system that will shuttle commuters from Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley and Pittsburg — all cities with populations that primarily commute closer to the Bay for work, but may need help reaching existing transit to take them there, such as BART or bus networks.

The driverless vehicle system by technology company Glydways will provide on-demand driverless cars along a 28-mile route starting in the cities of Brentwood and Oakley, with 56 boarding stations along the way.

“We’re excited that hopefully in 2030, we will be able to unveil this system and give some relief to residents in Eastern Contra Costa County who experience the daily commute, the daily struggle, to get to different parts of the San Francisco Bay Area,” said Hernandez-Thorpe, who also serves as the CCTA vice chair.

Hernandez-Thorpe said the region contains some of the fastest growing cities in Northern California and that leaders must be cognizant about providing relief to people who reside in eastern Contra Costa County.

“And this is a project that I’m proud to say will do just that,” Hernandez-Thorpe said.

The work leading up to the unveiling began in 2021, when the cities of Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley and Pittsburg conducted a feasibility study to find innovative ways for commuters to access existing transit services. The four East County cities, CCTA and Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority (Tri Delta Transit) later selected the Glydways system to help address the area’s transit needs.

“That’s what you’re going to see here today — the future,” said Haile. “It’s been fantastic partnering with Glydways … and we’re really excited to really deploy it in Eastern Contra Costa County.”

Hemmady expressed gratitude for the partnerships that supported Glydways, which he said was born in Contra Costa County. The company has a development facility in Concord.

“Every one of our 105 employees has goosebumps when we think about the progress that we’ve made over the last several years,” he said. “If you think about it, it’s just amazing.”

“It’s a room on four wheels,” Hemmady continued. “It’s your own personal space. You are in control when you are there, whether it’s temperature, lighting, music — you are absolutely in control. That is how we’ve designed it. We’ve designed it so that ridership experience is fantastic.”

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