Mobility as a Social Service

This project explores what autonomous vehicles could do for communities beyond moving people from one place to another. Working with Southeast Community Services (SECS) in Indianapolis and supported by the Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) Challenge Grant, we spent a year researching how transportation barriers affect people's daily lives, particularly their ability to access food, services, and opportunities. The result is a speculative design: what if an AV could function as civic infrastructure, not just a ride?

Maya is a composite persona built from real research. Over the course of Fall 2025, we conducted interviews and co-design sessions with neighbors, volunteers, and community stakeholders in southeast Indianapolis. Maya represents the patterns we heard most consistently: a working caregiver managing food insecurity, time scarcity, and transportation barriers all at once. She is not one specific person, but her story is grounded in what real people shared with us.

There is no cash fare. Maya earns ride credits through her pantry, simply by showing up and using the services available to her. Regular pantry visits keep her credits replenished. Rides to the pantry use standard credits. If Maya uses extended services during the ride, like job coaching or financial counseling, those rides draw more credits. The more she engages with the services the pantry offers, the more the system supports her.

The AV makes available whatever wraparound services the pantry extends. In this design, that includes job coaching, career counseling, financial counseling, and language support. These are not new services the AV creates. They are services the pantry already connects neighbors to, now made accessible during transit time that would otherwise go unused.

The AV is designed around the pantry as an anchor. Maya can add up to three additional destinations beyond the pantry, such as a school, pharmacy, or clinic. Those stops are reviewed and approved by the pantry before she can begin scheduling rides. This keeps the service focused on neighbors who need it most, while giving Maya real flexibility around her actual day.