Universal Orlando Resort to Epic Universe Transportation News & Speculation

[GadgetGuru]

There’s no way there’s going to be driverless shuttles making the journey.

The driverless tech is way too far away. The only driverless shuttle tech that’s been deployed so far assumes dedicated lanes and basically no traffic.

If Universal rolled out a driverless transit system, it would be the largest system of its kind in the world by several orders of magnitude.

 

[RFRees]

There’s no way there’s going to be driverless shuttles making the journey.

The driverless tech is way too far away. The only driverless shuttle tech that’s been deployed so far assumes dedicated lanes and basically no traffic.

If Universal rolled out a driverless transit system, it would be the largest system of its kind in the world by several orders of magnitude.

If it rolled it out today.

 

[GAcoaster]

There’s no way there’s going to be driverless shuttles making the journey.

The driverless tech is way too far away. The only driverless shuttle tech that’s been deployed so far assumes dedicated lanes and basically no traffic.

If Universal rolled out a driverless transit system, it would be the largest system of its kind in the world by several orders of magnitude.

You mean like those dedicated lanes they're planning to build down Kirkman Road? In four years tech can change a LOT!

 

[RFRees]

You mean like those dedicated lanes they're planning to build down Kirkman Road? In four years tech can change a LOT!

I agree mostly, though unless I'm mistaken, the dedicated bus lanes are not going to extend the entire trip from site A to B.

 

[GAcoaster]

I agree mostly, though unless I'm mistaken, the dedicated bus lanes are not going to extend the entire trip from site A to B.

It wouldn't make much sense to not have them run the full length of the run between parks.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

I think driverless shuttles is very possible tbh in 2023, 2024, or 2o25 (can't imagine this park opening later). If you have a dedicated roadway to and from the park with 2 stops for drop offs and pickups, I can't imagine the tech is too complicated to program them to go to one place to the next. Especially considering driverless cars are being programmed to be on the real road and go wherever.

 

[RFRees]

It wouldn't make much sense to not have them run the full length of the run between parks.

It would be great if they did, but I'm not seeing any evidence that this is in the plan.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I think driverless shuttles is very possible tbh in 2023, 2024, or 2o25 (can't imagine this park opening later). If you have a dedicated roadway to and from the park with 2 stops for drop offs and pickups, I can't imagine the tech is too complicated to program them to go to one place to the next. Especially considering driverless cars are being programmed to be on the real road and go wherever.

High speed (40-60 mph), doesn't need crazy recharges, autonomous vehicles could be available by 2023 but they are planning for this now. You don't plan for what could be, you plan what is. And if it is available it doesn't mean it's cost efficient.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

High speed (40-60 mph), doesn't need crazy recharges, autonomous vehicles could be available by 2023 but they are planning for this now. You don't plan for what could be, you plan what is. And if it is available it doesn't mean it's cost efficient.

Ya that’s true. Can’t invest in tech that hasn’t proven itself on a large scale yet.

 

[GadgetGuru]

High speed (40-60 mph), doesn't need crazy recharges, autonomous vehicles could be available by 2023 but they are planning for this now. You don't plan for what could be, you plan what is. And if it is available it doesn't mean it's cost efficient.

2023 is a big-if. Every major company (Google's Waymo, GM's Cruise, Ford's Argo) have moved to saying "we'll have autonomous cars eventually, turns out this is a hard problem." Ford has committed to having autonomous cars in Miami in 2021. Cruise doesn't have a date and Waymo launched a small fleet of cars (that still have human safety drivers just-in-case!) in Phoenix and doesn't show much momentum towards growing it.

Autonomous shuttles going through the parking lots is totally possible and will become more normal. Autonomous cars - at scale - on any kind of highway isn't coming anytime soon.

 

[Bobharlem]

Some news, as this is part of the general restructuring that needs to happen.

 

[WAJAS]

It wouldn't make much sense to not have them run the full length of the run between parks.

The ROW of Universal Boulevard isn’t large enough to accommodate bus only lanes, so it’ll be the only part of the journey without them.

 

[GAcoaster]

The ROW of Universal Boulevard isn’t large enough to accommodate bus only lanes, so it’ll be the only part of the journey without them.

No but Kirkman is, and is shown with bus lanes for the extension.

 

[WAJAS]

No but Kirkman is, and is shown with bus lanes for the extension.

I know. You said

It wouldn't make much sense to not have them run the full length of the run between parks.

I was saying why it would make sense that they didn’t got he full length of the run between parks. We know the bus route will follow Kirkman - Carrier - Universal. I stated why the bus lanes wouldn’t exist on Universal.

 

[RFRees]

Some news, as this is part of the general restructuring that needs to happen.

New pick up/drop off location announced as the fifth floor of the North garage. No parking fee required. This effects ride shares (Uber/Lyft) and guest/team member drop off. Taxis and buses will use their regular location.

 

[Happytycho]

New pick up/drop off location announced as the fifth floor of the North garage. No parking fee required. This effects ride shares (Uber/Lyft) and guest/team member drop off. Taxis and buses will use their regular location.

FWIW, it seems likely that the Epic Universe parking lot is being designed with such a drop off area from day 1.

 

[Bobharlem]

Ok that explains the removal of the median near the dropoff for the garage entrance. This will be annoying when it backs up to the intersection at times, and I'm sure citywalk team members will love that. I'd imagine this is temporary (but it may remain that way for a good while).

 

[GAcoaster]

Orlando’s first driverless bus launches in Lake Nona: ‘Tomorrow is here’ - Orlando Sentinel

This is interesting. It looks like the Oceaneering vehicle on display at IAPPA last year:

 

[Aardvark787]

I was wondering, there has been a lot of conversation about getting between the two segments of the resort (which it seems shall be by a bus) but will there be any kind of other transportation option to get around the campus near EU. For example, in the current resort area, there are water taxies. From my knowledge, there are 2 other hotel sites in addition to the one seen on the concept art, and I would hope that at least one of these 2 extra hotels would be a Moderate like Saphire Falls (as it is rumoured the other would be a Nintendo deluxe hotel). The main thing that makes SF special in comparison to CB and Aventura is the water taxi and I would hope that for a new moderate, there would be a special kind of transportation option - I find it unlikely that it would be a water taxi but a driverless monorail/light rail would be cool. Does anyone have any info on this?

 

[WAJAS]

I was wondering, there has been a lot of conversation about getting between the two segments of the resort (which it seems shall be by a bus) but will there be any kind of other transportation option to get around the campus near EU. For example, in the current resort area, there are water taxies. From my knowledge, there are 2 other hotel sites in addition to the one seen on the concept art, and I would hope that at least one of these 2 extra hotels would be a Moderate like Saphire Falls (as it is rumoured the other would be a Nintendo deluxe hotel). The main thing that makes SF special in comparison to CB and Aventura is the water taxi and I would hope that for a new moderate, there would be a special kind of transportation option - I find it unlikely that it would be a water taxi but a driverless monorail/light rail would be cool. Does anyone have any info on this?

I doubt we’ll see the boats on the new property, but gondolas may be an option. Disney has basically proven the concept for them.