EasyMile has suspended passenger operations in Columbus, Ohio, after a passenger was injured when a Linden LEAP shuttle made an emergency stop.
In a statement, Smart Columbus says the shuttle was travelling at 7.1mph when it made a sudden stop on Thursday, February 20, in the Linden residential area of Columbus.
A passenger slipped from her seat onto the floor and had to seek medical attention.
Smart Columbus has stopped services by both shuttles until the cause of the sudden stop can be determined.
On Tuesday, February 25, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration suspended passenger services for all US-based EasyMile shuttles pending a safety evaluation.
Smart Columbus said, “The Linden LEAP won’t return to service until NHTSA clears the vehicles and the City of Columbus is satisfied with the resolution of a technical and safety review. Smart Columbus is committed to passenger safety and to sharing our technology and safety learnings with other cities so they can benefit from this demonstration of new mobility technology.”
In a statement, EasyMile said, “It is paramount to EasyMile to use rigid safety protocols in every aspect of our technology. We continuously work to improve it and the comfort of passengers, and are running test loops on the ground for further analysis into the suddenness of the stop.”