Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport has launched a free, driverless shuttle in its East Economy parking lot. Two Ohmio autonomous shuttles now carry passengers between parking areas and the PHX Sky Train station — with no human driver at the wheel, though a safety attendant rides along. The service runs weekday mornings and afternoons only, and it costs nothing to board.
If you park at East Economy, here’s what changes for your next trip
Before this pilot, every ride from the East Economy lot to the Sky Train station meant a traditional, driver-operated circulator. Now you may step onto a vehicle that steers, brakes, and navigates the lot on its own. That is a noticeable change on the ground — but only at certain times.
The shuttle runs Monday through Friday, 7 to 11 a.m. and again 1 to 5 p.m. If you park on a weekend, or arrive in the evening, the Ohmio shuttle is not an option. The standard circulator shuttles still serve the lot during those gaps. The autonomous ride is free, just like the Sky Train it connects to.
One thing to plan for: the Ohmio shuttle takes you to the PHX Sky Train station, not directly to your terminal door. You still ride the Sky Train the rest of the way. That adds a step, but the Sky Train is free, runs every three to seven minutes around the clock, and stops at Terminals 3 and 4. It also connects to the 24th Street economy lot, the Rental Car Center, and Valley Metro light rail at 44th and Washington streets. The full chain — parking spot to terminal gate — is no-cost from end to end.
One of the two Ohmio autonomous shuttles moves through Sky Harbor’s East Economy parking lot during the six-month pilot. A safety attendant is on board during the trial. (Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport)
Who actually runs this pilot, and what Ohmio is
The program is a partnership between Ace Parking — the airport’s parking concessionaire — and Ohmio, the shuttle manufacturer. The City of Phoenix Aviation Department is not operating the vehicles itself. Ace Parking and Ohmio hold the pilot agreement.
Ohmio was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand. It is a subsidiary of HMI Technologies. The company has deployed autonomous shuttles at airports, university campuses, and urban sites across Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.
Sky Harbor’s Senior Business Manager William Robinson presented the plan to the Phoenix Aviation subcommittee. He told the subcommittee that Phoenix Sky Harbor intends to be among the first airports in the nation to offer a self-driving shuttle. Robinson did not give a specific launch date at that presentation; the public rollout followed later.
Ohmio had already been testing a driverless shuttle at the airport since July 2026, months before the October 8 public announcement. The six-month pilot is structured as a trial, with an onboard safety attendant present throughout.
Why Sky Harbor is doing this now: forty-eight-point-seven million passengers
Sky Harbor served a record 48.7 million passengers in 2023. That volume puts real pressure on every piece of ground transit the airport operates. More passengers mean more circulator trips, more wait times, and more wear on the system. Automating part of the East Economy shuttle run is one way the airport tests whether autonomous vehicles can carry some of that load reliably.
An aerial view of Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, which handled a record 48.7 million passengers in 2023. The East Economy parking lot, home to the Ohmio pilot, sits on the airport’s east side. (Davel5957)
Phoenix’s three-layer autonomous transit stack: Waymo, the Sky Train, and now Ohmio
The Ohmio pilot fits into a pattern Phoenix has been building for several years. Mayor Kate Gallego has pointed to the city’s investment in autonomous technology across multiple layers of transit. On city streets, Waymo operates fully driverless taxis — and Sky Harbor became the first airport in the world to offer Waymo rider-only autonomous vehicle service, with Mayor Gallego taking the first ride. Inside the airport, the PHX Sky Train is already a fully automated people mover with no human operator. The Ohmio shuttle adds a third layer: autonomous transit in the parking lot itself, closing the last human-operated gap between your car and the automated train.
No other major U.S. airport currently operates all three of these autonomous layers together. Phoenix is doing this on purpose. Gallego has discussed the city-wide rationale for AV investment, and the Ohmio pilot is the clearest example yet of that strategy reaching the airport parking lot. If you want to read more about how Waymo continues to expand across the Valley, that context helps explain why Phoenix keeps moving first.
What comes after the six-month trial
The Ohmio pilot launched October 8, 2026, so the six-month window runs through roughly April 2027. The airport has not announced what happens at the end of the trial — whether it expands the service, extends the hours, adds more shuttles, or ends the program. No decisions have been made public.
What the trial will produce is real-world data on how an autonomous shuttle handles a busy airport lot during peak hours. The outcome of that data will shape whatever comes next. For now, if you park at East Economy on a weekday morning or early afternoon, the Ohmio shuttle is there. For everything else, the standard circulator and the free Sky Train still run as they always have.
