Driverless SWAN shuttle crashes in Orlando after launching

Not off to a good start.

A brand-new, self-driving shuttle bus suddenly crashed into another carrier in Orlando, Fla. — just two days after the shuttle service officially hit the streets.

The SWAN shuttle — short for Shuttling with Autonomous Navigation — collided with a full-sized bus in the city’s downtown area Tuesday, cops said.

The crash was caught on camera by a passenger testing out the city’s hyped new service.


The SWAN shuttle, which is short for Shuttling with Autonomous Navigation, collided with a full-sized bus in Orlando on Tuesday, cops said.
The Shuttling with Autonomous Navigation bus collided with a full-sized bus in Orlando on Tuesday.
samorlando220/TikTok

The SWAN shuttle is pictured
The SWAN shuttle officially hit the streets in Orlando on Aug. 20 — and crashed two days later.
City of Orlando

“Tried out the new SWAN Shuttle autonomous shuttle in Downtown Orlando today. We crashed. #Beep,” TikTok user Sam Gallaher posted alongside the now viral video.

The footage shows a female shuttle passenger pressing a touch screen just seconds before the driverless bus set off.

Moments later, passengers can be heard saying “woah, woah” as the regular city bus, known as LYMMO, appears to pull in front of them to turn — swiping the side of the shuttle bus in the process.

Both vehicles suffered “minor cosmetic damage” and no passengers on either bus were injured, cops said.


A passenger on the SWAN shuttle is pictured
Footage of the crash showed a city bus pulling in front of the new driverless shuttle service.
samorlando220/TikTok

The city had just unveiled the new pilot service, which is powered by Beep technologies, on Aug. 20.

The service is designed to transport passengers through the Creative Village neighborhood during off-peak hours for the city’s regular bus service.

“The SWAN Shuttle, an autonomous mobility pilot program, is in partnership with Lynx and will be tested in Creative Village from August 2023 through April 2024. If successful, the pilot could be expanded throughout the city into areas like SODO or Ivanhoe Village,” the city said when the service started.