Phoenix Motorcars, Houston METRO, and EasyMile, have been awarded a grant for the development of the first Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) compliant autonomous shuttle bus in the U.S.

The self-driving bus will be deployed in real-life traffic conditions and is set to revolutionize last-mile transit connectivity. Phoenix Motorcars will integrate EasyMile’s driverless technology to its range of zero-emission vehicles.

The news comes as part of METRO being selected among projects to receive funding from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM) grant of nearly $1.5 million. METRO will develop an autonomous vehicle technology prototype for private or public roads at 12-15 mph in 12 months from launch date, with further operation for 12 months of testing.

The autonomous bus will serve Texas Southern University, the University of Houston, and Houston’s Third Ward community connecting to METRO buses and light rail.

“We are proud to be selected by the FTA as the OEM zero-emission vehicle provider and look forward to adding the Level 4 Autonomous EZ ZEUS into our product catalog,” said Thomas Allen, sales manager at Phoenix Motorcars. “As the world moves toward net zero carbon goals and prioritizes clean air quality, the self-driving ZEV is the next step in Phoenix Motorcars’ quest to provide future technology today.”