Bill aims to study how self-driving vehicles can be integrated into public transit

Autonomous vehicles are motor vehicles that have an automated driving system.

But state Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, has called for a formal framework, through House Bill 4663, to test and deploy self-driving cars in the state.

Buckner has also urged the newly founded Northern Illinois Transit Authority to study how autonomous vehicles could work alongside the existing public transport network, if they’re made legal.

But autonomous vehicles at high-congestion points may worsen traffic, said Dany Robles, senior legislative director at the Illinois Environmental Council.

The San Francisco Bay Area has a program that incentivizes autonomous vehicles to solve the first- and last-mile problem.