Self-driving shuttle will take a few lucky college students to class next year

University of Michigan engineering students will get a slick new ride to class starting next school year -- no driver necessary.

The University's MCity self-driving development hub just announced its plans to launch a free autonomous shuttle service in the school's North Campus. It's the first time the self-driving program has offered services outside of the 32-acre MCity complex, which opened in 2015.

The shuttle will run a non-stop, two-mile route between the Lurie Engineering Center and the university’s North Campus Research Complex, so students won't be able to take advantage of the autonomous transport for their extracurricular activities, if you know what I mean.

The fully autonomous electric ARMA shuttle comes courtesy of French firm NAVYA, an MCity partner that recently announced its plans to open its first assembly plant outside of Europe in the Ann Arbor area.

The 15-person shuttle will run during business hours at the program's start, ferrying UM students and faculty between the two buildings every 10 minutes, but those hours could potentially be expanded if it's a hit.

The program won't just give UM students a new way to get to class; MCity researchers will use the shuttle to observe how its passengers react to the new tech. Cameras and sensors on the vehicle will collect on-road data to help hone the AI guiding it.

MCity was the first place in North America to test the NAVYA ARMA last December, where it was used for tours and research. A pilot program led by the city of Las Vegas in January put the self-driving shuttles on streets as a form public transport for the first time, but it was only a limited run.