Signal Detroit ran three wheelchair-accessible autonomous shuttles over 110 stops from 2024

Summary

Deloitte cites Detroit as a public-sector example of physical AI improving accessibility. In 2024 the city launched a free autonomous shuttle for older residents and people with disabilities whose mobility had been severely limited by conventional transit. The service, called Accessibili-D, used self-driving vehicles fitted for wheelchairs and staffed by a trained safety operator. Three vehicles ran within an 11-square-mile part of the city and served 110 stops. The report uses the case to show that physical AI applications appear wherever they solve real problems, regardless of sector. It frames the common thread as augmenting human capability where safety, precision or accessibility matter most.