While the vehicles are fully autonomous, there will be an attendant on board the shuttles at all times. Passengers must remain seated with a seat-belt on. The shuttles can hold up to six passengers at a time. Pick-ups are approximately every 10 minutes, with hours eventually going to 9 a.m. There are two stops - one to the north near Methodist Hospital and another to south outside of the People’s Food Co-op. The fareless shuttles - and there will be two of them once the program is fully operational - run simultaneously along a 1.5-mile route down Center Street, Third Avenue SW, Sixth Street SW, and Broadway. In anticipation of a public kick-off event later this month, here are four things to know about the electric, self-driving shuttles: The nuts and bolts

The vehicles had been scheduled to go live in 2020, before the pandemic forced organizers to temporarily put the brakes on the program. The program is the first of its kind in Minnesota, with transit officials paying special attention to how the shuttles hold up in a range of weather conditions.

This month the Minnesota Department of Transportation - in partnership with the City of Rochester, Mayo Clinic, and others - began a soft launch of the “Med City Mover,” a 12-month pilot program designed to test the effectiveness of autonomous vehicles in a live-action setting.

East rochester drivers test route