This week Christchurch residents got a chance to try an autonomous shuttle owned by Christchurch Airport during test rides at the Botanic Gardens. There were supervisors on-board and along the short route as the shuttle trundled through the gardens. The airport bought the 15-person New Zealand-built Ohmio LIFT shuttle last year as part of an ongoing autonomous vehicle trial. It has invited members of the public to ride the shuttle before, but the vehicle has mostly been tested on private roads around the airport. Christchurch Airport Chief Executive Malcolm Johns said the shuttle was autonomous, electric and 3D printed and could carry up to 15 people. We believe the potential benefits of autonomous shuttles are exciting and are pleased to be able to put the Smart Shuttle in the centre of the city to continue our learning about people's interactions with an autonomous vehicle, he said. Ohmio Executive Chairman Mohammed Hikmet acknowledged the support of the Christchurch City Council to showcase the technology to residents, and also for a  grant of $50,000 from the Council’s Innovation and Sustainability Fund. Ohmio Chief Executive Dean Zabrieszach said people could be "scared off" by the idea of a vehicle without a steering wheel, “but what we've found is that once people can actually feel it, touch it, have a ride in it, experience it, the feeling changes completely."

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