On Monday, July 23, driverless vehicles for Capital Metro’s pilot shuttle program that is scheduled to launch in the fall began testing in downtown Austin, Texas.

According to Mariette Hummel, a spokeswoman for Capital Metro, Capital Metro officials are spending this week completing the mapping portion of the testing to help the vehicles learn the route, as well as where the signals and signs are located.

“It’s putting information into the vehicle and it is learning about the route and the traffic situations,” Hummel says via Community Impact Newspaper.

Mapping is taking place at night from midnight to 4 a.m. along Third Street between the Austin Convention Center and Republic Square Park. Hummel says that city transportation officials, along with representatives from RATP Dev USA—one of Capital Metro’s transit service providers—are helping with the mapping.

The second phase of testing—expected to end on August 5—will take place next week when the vehicles will be on the road at all times of the day, as they drive autonomously with a buffer vehicle in front and in back.

“People will see these vehicles rolling down the street very slowly, no more than 5 mph,” Hummel says.

While residents will see the vehicles operating on the street during this testing phase, they will not be able to ride the vehicles. But starting next week, Capital Metro staffers will be present to answer any questions that residents might have, Hummel says.

The testing phase is being paid for by RATP Dev USA, and Capital Metro will fund the pilot program through its innovation budget proposed for the fiscal year 2018-19 budget.

Once the testing phase is completed, the information obtained during this phase will be presented to the Capital Metro board. The board will then choose between two vehicle manufacturers to lease six vehicles for the 12-month pilot.