Beverly Hills has become one of the first cities to say it will actively pursue self-driving cars as a possible solution to public transportation challenges.
On April 5, the council approved a motion outlining the city's support for an "autonomous vehicle program" in order to relieve traffic, and offer senior citizens a form of public transportation.
Parking is also a problem that the city hopes to ease. They plan to partner with companies like Google, Audi and Tesla in order to address "increasing mobility within the city."
The automated vehicles would be owned by the city.
The city's plans, however, are likely at least several years away as the technology still faces a number of daunting hurdles.
"While the timeline varies, autonomous vehicle technology is likely to become a reality in two to five years," the motion states.
Getting those vehicles on the road will also face regulatory challenges that are likely to lengthen the timeline, noted in the motion.
