People With Disabilities Hope Autonomous Vehicles Deliver Independence

Published

1 year ago

December 15, 2023

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GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. ? Myrna Peterson predicts self-driving vehicles will be a ticket out of isolation and loneliness for people like her, who live outside big cities and have disabilities that prevent them from driving.

This story also ran on States Newsroom. It can be republished for free.

Peterson, who has quadriplegia, is an enthusiastic participant in an unusual test of autonomous vehicles in this corner of northern Minnesota. She helped attract government funding to bring five self-driving vans to Grand Rapids, a city of 11,000 people in a region of pine and birch forests along the Mississippi River.

The projects self-driving vans always have a human operator in the drivers seat, poised to take over in complicated situations. But the computers are in control about 90% of the time, and theyve given 5,000 rides since 2022 without any accidents, organizers say.

Its been fun. Im really sold on it, said Peterson, who used to rely on her power wheelchair to travel around town, even in winter.

Autonomous vehicles, which can drive themselves at least part of the time, are making news in urban areas, such as San Francisco, where extensive tests of the technology are underway. Email Sign-Up

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Rural experiments have been set up in a few other states, including Iowa and Ohio. Peterson hopes the pilot projects help bring a day when fully autonomous cars and vans assist the estimated 25 million Americans whose travel is limited by disabilities.

Fully independent vehicles remain far from everyday options, as tech companies and automakers struggle to perfect the technology. Recently, for example, General Motors recalled all its self-driving cars after one struck and dragged a pedestrian who had been hit by another vehicle.

But Waymo, a corporate relative of Google, is forging ahead with fully autonomous taxi rides in multiple cities.

Peterson is among those who believe autonomous vehicles someday will become safer than human-driven models.

Look at how many times the lightbulb failed before it worked, she said. Operator Mark Haase keeps his hands cupped around the steering wheel as a goMARTI vans computer system drives. The projects vans drive themselves about 90% of the time, but operators are always poised to take over in complicated situations.(Tony Leys/KFF Health News)

Unlike many smaller towns, Grand Rapids has public buses and a taxi service. But Peterson said those options dont always work well, especially for people with disabilities. The autonomous vehicle program, known as goMARTI, which stands for Minnesotas Autonomous Rural Transit Initiative, offers a flexible alternative, she said. She hopes it eventually will ease a national shortage of drivers, which tends to be especially acute in rural regions.

The project is funded through the spring of 2027 with more than $13 million from federal, state, and local sources, much of it coming from the 2021 federal infrastructure bill.

The projects distinctive Toyota minivans are outfitted by a Michigan company, May Mobility, which is backed by the Japanese auto giant and other investors. Slogans painted on the side invite the public to Experience Self Driving in Minnesotas Nature. The vans bristle with technology, including cameras, radar, GPS, and laser sensors. Their computer systems constantly monitor surroundings and learn from situations they encounter, said Jon Dege, who helps manage the project for May Mobility.

Users arrange free rides via a smartphone app or the 211 social service telephone line. Signs around Grand Rapids, Minnesota, instruct residents on how to arrange free rides in the goMARTI systems self-driving vans.(Tony Leys/KFF Health News)

On a recent chilly afternoon, a goMARTI van pulled up near Petersons house. She soon emerged, bundled in a bright purple parka honoring her beloved Minnesota Vikings football team. She rolled her electric wheelchair to the van, up a ramp, and into the back. Van operator Mark Haase helped strap the wheelchair in, then climbed into the drivers seat for a demonstration.

As the van pulled onto the street, the steering wheel seemed to shudder, reflecting tiny adjustments the computer made. Haase kept his foot poised near the brake pedal and his hands cupped around the steering wheel, ready to take over if a complication came up. After moments when he needed to take control of the vehicle, he pressed a button telling the computer system to resume command. It was weird at first, but it didnt take long to get used to it and trust the system, Haase said.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation helped direct federal money toward the Grand Rapids project, which followed a similar effort in the southern Minnesota city of Rochester. Tara Olds, the departments director of connected and automated vehicles, said her agency sought smaller communities that wanted to give autonomous vehicles a shot.

Neither kind of driver will ever be perfect, Olds said. You know, humans make mistakes, and computers make mistakes, she said. But the public would understandably react differently if a fatal crash were caused by an autonomous vehicle instead of a human, she said.

Frank Douma, a research scholar at the University of Minnesotas Center for Transportation Studies, has analyzed the Grand Rapids project and other autonomous vehicle programs. He said running such projects in smaller towns isnt necessarily harder than doing so in urban areas. Its just different.

For the foreseeable future, such services probably will need to run on predetermined routes, with regular stops, he said. It would be more complicated to have autonomous vehicles travel on demand to unfamiliar addresses out in the countryside.

Developers will need to overcome significant challenges before autonomous vehicles can become a regular part of rural life, he said. But its no longer something that can be dismissed as impossible. Myrna Peterson (right) rolls her wheelchair into a goMARTI van as operator Mark Haase watches. During rides, Haase sits in the drivers seat, ready to take over from the vans computer at a moments notice. (Tony Leys/KFF Health News) Myrna Peterson, who uses a wheelchair, enjoys a ride in a goMARTI self-driving van. Peterson, who lives in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, hopes to see a day when fully autonomous vehicles help people with disabilities get out of their homes and avoid isolation. (Tony Leys/KFF Health News)

A 2022 report from the National Disability Institute predicted that autonomous vehicles could help many people with disabilities get out of their homes and obtain jobs.

Tom Foley, the groups executive director, said a lack of transportation often causes isolation, which can lead to mental health problems. Theres an epidemic of loneliness, particularly for older people and particularly for people with disabilities, he said.

Foley, who is blind, has tried fully autonomous vehicles in San Francisco. He believes someday they will become a safe and practical alternative to human drivers, including in rural areas. They dont text. They dont drink. They dont get distracted, he said.

For now, most riders who use wheelchairs need attendants to secure them inside a van before it starts moving. But researchers are looking into ways to automate that task so people who use wheelchairs can take advantage of fully autonomous vehicles.

The Grand Rapids project covers 35 miles of road, with 71 stops. The routes initially avoided parking lots, where human drivers often make unexpected decisions, Dege said. But organizers recognized the street-side stops could be challenging for many people, especially if theyre among the 10% of goMARTI riders who use wheelchairs. The autonomous vans now drive into some parking lots to pick riders up at the door.

During the recent demonstration ride with Peterson and Haase, the van turned into a clinic parking lot. A ladyin an orange car cut across the lot, heading for the front of the van. The computer driving the van hit the brakes. A split second later, Haase did the same. The orange cars driver smiled and gave a friendly Midwestern wave as she drove past.

The autonomous vans have gone out in nearly all kinds of weather, which can be a challenge in northern Minnesota. Grand Rapids received more than 7 feet of snow last winter.

There were only three or four times when it was so snowy we had to pull it in, Dege said. The autonomous driving systems can handle snowflakes in the air and ice on the pavement, he said. They tend to get confused by snow piles, however. The human operators step in to assist in those situations while the computers learn how to master them.

The robot drivers can get stymied as well by roundabouts, also known as traffic circles. The setups are touted as safer than four-way stops, but they can befuddle human drivers too.

Haase took control each time the van approached a roundabout. He also took the wheel as the van came up on a man riding a bicycle along the right side of the road. Better safe than sorry, Haase said. Once the van was a few yards past the bicycle, he pressed a button that told the robot to resume control.

Peterson takes the vans to stores, restaurants, community meetings, hockey games and church, of course, every Sunday and Wednesday, she said.

She said the project has brought Grand Rapids residents together to imagine a more inclusive future. Its not just a fancy car, she said.

Tony Leys: tleys@kff.org, @tonyleys Related Topics Aging Rural Health States Disabilities Iowa Michigan Minnesota Ohio Contact Us Submit a Story Tip

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Trump trade war expands globally as 25% tariffs on aluminium and steel take effect

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3 hours ago

March 12, 2025

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Trump trade war expands globally as 25% tariffs on aluminium and steel take effect

Donald Trump’s trade war has expanded to cover the world, with 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports to the US in effect from today, affecting UK products worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

The duties were announced in mid-February as stock market investors cheered President Trump‘s ‘America first’ agenda which saw only Mexico, Canada and China come under initial pressure.

While two rounds of tariffs on China have been enacted, 25% duties on some Canadian and most Mexican cross-border trade have been withdrawn until 2 April at the earliest.

The tariffs beginning today are designed to protect US manufacturing and bolster jobs by making foreign-made products less attractive.

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They threaten to make the cost of things like cars to soft drink cans – and therefore some drinks – more expensive.

Canada is the biggest exporter of both steel and aluminium to America. However, the White House on Tuesday rowed back on a threat to double the country’s tariff to 50%.

The American tariffs are a threat to UK steel exports worth north of £350m annually – with the bulk of that coming from stainless steel.

The business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said on Wednesday morning that while he was disappointed, there would be no immediate retaliation by the UK government as negotiations continue over a wider trade deal with the US.

“I will continue to engage closely and productively with the US to press the case for UK business interests,” he said.

The EU, however, vowed to retaliate with €26bn of counter tariffs on US goods starting from 1 April,

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she remained open to “meaningful dialogue” with the US.

During Mr Trump’s first term, the bloc countered tariffs with charges on products such as US-made bourbon and jeans which were later suspended.

These duties would be re-imposed from April, the Commission said, with further products added to match the value of the US tariff hit.

Industry body UK Steel said it was a trading partner with the US, not a threat, and urged a government response.

Any fall in demand among US customers will leave producers scrambling for new markets, though some could be directed to domestic projects within the UK.

That steel could prove attractive as China, the world’s largest producer of steel, has threatened to limit its exports in response to the Trump tariffs.

President Trump is under growing pressure to row back, particularly in his planned battle with nearest neighbours Mexico and Canada.

Markets have turned on the tariff regime, with jitters about the effects of higher import prices souring the US economy first being seen through the currency and bond markets.

The dollar has lost around five cents against both the pound and a resurgent euro alone in the past few weeks.

Stock markets have joined in, with the combined market value of the broad S&P 500’s constituent companies down by more than $4trn on the peak seen just last month.

The big fear is that the protectionism will push the world’s largest economy into recession – a scenario Mr Trump did not deny was possible during a weekend interview.

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US firms, already also grappling the complexities associated with an expanding tariff regime, are also letting it be known that they expect damage to their own businesses.

Delta Airlines lowered its first quarter growth forecast on the back of the turmoil this week while US firms are increasingly facing product boycotts.

Travel bodies have also reported a big drop in the number of Canadians crossing the US border, with road trips down by almost a quarter last month compared to February 2023 according to Statistics Canada.

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Small acts of defiance in Canada raise question of what country can do against Trump’s tariff trade war

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3 hours ago

March 12, 2025

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Small acts of defiance in Canada raise question of what country can do against Trump's tariff trade war

In Miche cafe and bar in British Columbia’s capital, Victoria, owner Allan Sinclair is turning around specific alcohol bottles on the top shelf to hide the labels from public view.

He picks up a bottle of Jack Daniels.

“This is from Tennessee and they supported Trump so we can’t have that,” he says.

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A bottle of Wayne Gretzky’s cream liquor is nearly finished.

“Once it’s gone, I’m going to get rid of it,” says Allan. “He’s shown he doesn’t respect our country anymore.”

Gretzky, once a Canadian ice hockey hero, has alienated many here with his steadfast support of the American president.

Allan also sells “Canadianos,” which he says, wryly, are stronger than Americanos.

They are quiet but considered acts of defiance in the face of a trade war started by the United States.

“It is a small protest in the form of a coffee,” he says. “What we can do is hope that they don’t follow up with all of this madness.”

Tuesday began with Donald Trump announcing a 50% tariff on aluminium and steel coming from Canada. Just hours later, that was revised back down to 25%.

There is a grinding, on-off, tit-for-tat nature to these economic punishments.

The British Columbia premier David Eby retaliated to the Trump tariffs by prohibiting the sale of American-manufactured alcohol in his province.

‘Buy Canadian Instead’

BC Liquor Store is just steps away from the premier’s office in Victoria.

On the shelves where Kentucky bourbon would usually be there are signs saying: “Buy Canadian Instead.”

Dozens of bottles of California and Oregon wine are wrapped tightly with cellophane.

But the threats from the Trump administration don’t end with tariffs.

The president has stated repeatedly that he’s keen to make Canada the 51st state. Even referring to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “governor”.

Premier Eby tells Sky News: “These are deeply unnerving statements for the president to be making, especially in the context of clearly expansionist policies related to Greenland and the Panama Canal.

“What we get continually about the president is to take him seriously, but not literally.

“I would love to have that kind of luxury… the danger, I think, is not taking him literally and seriously.”

‘I’m trying to buy anything but American‘

On the ferry which connects Vancouver Island with the mainland, tariff fatigue is setting in.

Passenger Nancy, a government worker, says she thinks Donald Trump is intent on causing mayhem. “He’s a menace, he’s just creating chaos where it doesn’t need to be.”

Her colleague Laura says the silver lining is that the tariffs have galvanised Canadians together.

“People feel hurt and angry,” she says. “We are trying to buy more Canadian products and travel anywhere other than the United States. I had a trip booked to Las Vegas and we’ve cancelled that. When I go to the grocery store, I look for the Canadian maple leaf that a lot of grocery stores have put on the shelves. I’m trying to buy anything but American.”

Richard thinks Donald Trump’s end game is to weaken the Canadian economy.

“I think Trump had an agenda from the beginning, without a doubt. I think he wanted to cause a collapse of the Canadian economy so it would make it easier for him and his colleagues to buy up whatever they wanted, if not to make us a 51st state – it had nothing to do with Fentanyl, that was just a ruse.”

Trump’s ‘fiction’ Fentanyl claims

He’s referencing the Trump administration’s repeated claims that Fentanyl, a devastating opioid that has ravaged parts of both America and Canada, is flooding over the Canadian border into the US.

It’s the reason, they say, for starting this trade war.

Dr M-J Milloy, director of research at British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, says that this simply isn’t true.

“There is no one who knows anything about drug markets in North America who would agree with the statement that Canada is a substantial part of the problem in the United States. It is a fiction.”

“No question that Fentanyl has devastated the United States. Fentanyl is devastating Canada. And so I think in that way, it might be a potent way for Mr Trump to whip up enthusiasm and to justify this aggression,” he adds.

Whatever the reason – invented or otherwise – for this trade war, it’s making an enemy of this ally.

The question is, what power does Canada really have in the face of its much bigger, far wealthier neighbour?

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‘Shattering blow’ to farmers over pause to environmental payment scheme

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3 hours ago

March 12, 2025

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'Shattering blow' to farmers over pause to environmental payment scheme

A “shattering blow” has been dealt to farmers with the sudden pausing for new applications for environmental payments, according to the National Farmers’ Union.

The NFU says it was given just 30 minutes notice by the government that applications for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) were to close on Tuesday.

The post-Brexit scheme, launched in 2022, pays farmers and land managers to take up practices that improve productivity and protect the environment and climate.

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There were more than 100 options for farmers to choose from, including the management of hedgerows, organic farming development and providing habitat for wildlife.

The government says the budget for SFI has now been reached, adding that a “record” 50,000 farm businesses and more than half of all farmed land is now managed under the schemes.

Both Conservatives and Liberal Democrat politicians have criticised the move and the lack of any prior warning.

But NFU president Tom Bradshaw said the decision showed “how little” the Department for Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (Defra) understood the industry.

‘Growing disregard for agriculture within Defra’

“This is another shattering blow to English farms, delivered yet again with no warning, no understanding of the industry and a complete lack of compassion or care,” Mr Bradshaw said.

“Today’s terrible news was delivered with only 30 minutes warning to us before ministers briefed the press, leaving us unable to inform our members.

“There has been no consultation, no communication; there has been a total lack of the ‘partnership and co-design’ Defra loves to talk about. It is another example of the growing disregard for agriculture within the department.”

The government has said “every penny” in all existing SFI agreements will be paid to farmers, and outstanding eligible applications that have been submitted will also be taken forward.

It said details of a new SFI scheme will be announced following the Spending Review.

The ‘cruellest betrayal so far’

Dan Whitehead

West of England and Wales correspondent

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It was only last week that thousands of farmers were protesting outside Downing Street at the inheritance tax policy that’s angered so many in agriculture.

But one group representing farmers said on Tuesday the SFI decision is the “cruellest betrayal so far”.

The scheme was introduced under the Conservatives post-Brexit, to encourage sustainable farming.

It took years to develop – and was seen as world leading in a way of ensuring farming was both productive for the sector and protective of the environment.

Although a new scheme after the spending review is promised, many farmers will be left wondering whether it’ll be as comprehensive.

The National Farmers’ Union was preparing on Wednesday to release a report saying that farming confidence in England and Wales is at its lowest level ever.

It’s described Tuesday’s news as a “bleak irony”.

In a statement, minister for food security and rural affairs Daniel Zeichner said: “This government is proud to have set the biggest budget for sustainable food produce in history, to boost growth in rural communities and all across the UK, under our plan for change.

“More farmers are now in schemes and more money is being spent through them than ever before. That is true today and will remain true tomorrow. 

“We have now successfully allocated the SFI24 budget as promised.”

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The government claims the last administration left the scheme uncapped – and they had to put a limit on to stop it running over budget.

‘Absolutely bonkers’

Olly Harrison, an arable farmer on Merseyside who organised the latest farming protest in London earlier this month, said the decision showed farmers were being “attacked from every single angle”.

“It’s just absolutely bonkers. The scheme worked. It was to replace what we had when we were in Europe [the EU] and a lot of farms embraced it, they were doing real good with it.”

“Why have we got people who don’t understand and don’t understand the environment in power?”

Edward Morello, the Liberal Democrat MP for West Dorset, told Sky News the decision will “alarm farmers across the UK” – and called for the government to “start listening and responding” to the agricultural community.

Tim Farron, the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, said the decision was made with “no warning”.

Conservative shadow farming minister Robbie Moore said the change was “absolutely scandalous”.