GRAND RAPIDS — Snowflakes drifted to the ground outside as Jim Cagle strummed the guitar and sang about a subject not usually immortalized in song: a local transit system.
But the autonomous goMARTI vehicles were the stars of the day on Thursday, Oct. 23, in Grand Rapids.
Cagle stepped away from his music stand and led a group of dozens of state and local leaders and community members out of the event tent into the brisk fall weather. A parade of the goMARTI fleet drove slowly by outside with headlights flashing in celebration.
The reason for the gathering? To mark the beginning of goMARTI 2.0.
It’s an expansion in every way of the on-demand, accessible transit system serving rural Northern Minnesota, where transportation can be a massive barrier for those without cars or with mobility issues.
There’s more hours of operation, 70 more stops, and it now serves the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe reservation. There’s also three new, handicapped-accessible electric Volkswagen vans named Buzz, Polly and Pickle. And the program is entirely free. The service is paid for by state and federal funds, including a federal grant through the Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation that will allow it to run for free through 2028.
But the project is about more than providing transportation. “MARTI” stands for Minnesota’s Advanced Rural Transit Innovations, and it’s the northernmost autonomous vehicle service in the United States. The vehicles are equipped with what’s called a multi-policy decision making system developed by a Michigan-based company, May Mobility.
During a ride-along through the streets of Grand Rapids, Karsten Kutterer of May Mobility explained how the technology works.
“Here's a pedestrian right up here walking a dog. So it notices all of that,” Kutterer said while pointing to a screen, where pedestrians were represented by orange blocks against a dark blue background. “And then every second, it's analyzing thousands of potential scenarios of what could happen. Is this person possibly going to cross the street? Or is this car going to turn in front of me?”
Every single ride helps to advance autonomous vehicle technology in a place where snow, ice and cold provide many chances for increased difficulty.
Tammy Meehan Russell is the project manager for goMARTI and president of Plum Catalyst, which oversees the transit service’s strategic planning. As part of a presentation inside the tent, she explained the future of vehicle autonomy could allow for safer roads and greater accessibility for those who can’t drive.
“It needs to have some time on the road to be able to gather more data and improve,” Meehan Russell said. “And so we wanted to be able to provide a service for the community while a company like May Mobility can improve their technology.”
While the fleet operates autonomously about 90% of the time, Minnesota law requires a licensed human driver to help operate the vehicles.
Meghan Horak is one of these drivers. On Thursday, she took people on short rides in a goMARTI vehicle named Meeru.
“I have two favorites. Unfortunately, it's not Meeru, although Meeru is a good car,” Horak said. “I enjoy Megabyte and Morbo, personally.”
More about goMARTI
Communities served: Grand Rapids, LaPrairie, Cohasset, Deer River and Ball Club
New hours of operation: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday
Cost: Free
How to book a ride: Use the goMARTI app available in the Google Play and Apple stores, or call 218-goMARTI (218-466-2784)
Website: gomarti.com
Horak said the service's expansion into the morning hours has been particularly popular with the riders.
“Honestly, since it's a small town, you see the same people, a lot of the same riders, or repeat riders — nearly everyone. And so you get to know them,” she said.
Myrna Peterson, 76, is a wheelchair user and one of the regular riders in Grand Rapids. Peterson is also one of the dynamic forces behind the launch of the goMARTI program three years ago, with the support of a lengthy list of local and state partners and federal dollars.
“I put many miles on my chair, about 1,600 a year. And whether it's raining or snowing, I'm usually out there in my wheelchair,” Peterson said. “This literally gets me off the street because it's a warm ride, plus an opportunity to visit with these amazing operators. It's a social event for me as well.”
Michael Reyes is a planner with the Leech Lake Band tribal development office and helped to bring the service to the eastern communities of the reservation. He said transportation barriers are a glaring issue for rural and tribal folks.
“We all complain about it, we all know it's a problem, but nobody did anything,” Reyes said. “GoMARTI came forward ... and the way it's prospered — I seen one of the stats of 290,000 miles traveled by goMARTI.”
That’s more than 11.5 times around the Earth. The service just marked 35,000 rides provided thus far, and counting.
As the parade concluded, Peterson was the guest of honor who pressed a button that shot confetti into the air. She grew a little teary-eyed as the crowd cheered.
“I'm all about quality of life, opportunities for all ages and all abilities,” Peterson said. “I just think it's great that this will get people to the grocery store, to their medical appointment. ... And it's just the right thing to do, getting people out to enjoy our great Northwoods.”
