A funky-looking vehicle was cruising downtown Tampa. The steering wheel was missing

Some folks taking a stroll Tuesday in downtown Tampa may have done a double take while watching the traffic roll by.

If those peering pedestrians looked again, what they would have observed was a vehicle driving itself with humans merely along for the ride.

No steering wheel required.

What they witnessed was a demonstration of autonomous vehicle technology presented by the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, May Mobility Inc. of Ann Arbor, Mich., and the city of Tampa.

The demonstration was intended to provide local leaders and transit officials with an understanding about the capabilities of self-driving vehicles and what the city would expect from the new technology.

“The organization’s demonstration with May Mobility is a fantastic opportunity for residents to experience autonomous vehicle technology on our city streets,” said HART interim CEO Jeff Seward. “Automated vehicles have the potential to significantly enhance our transit system in the near future and HART is excited to bring this technology and innovative thinking to our community.”

The May Mobility autonomous vehicle — which could haul up to six curious passengers — traversed the Marion Transit Way corridor downtown to show off the technology in a real-world scenario. It’s in the same area where HART anticipates utilizing autonomous vehicles sometime in the future.

“The best part of the driver is that he’s not the driver — he just a guy sitting there,” said phone-toting Tampa City Councilman Mike Suarez, who broadcast Tuesday’s demonstration on Facebook.

During their test ride, passengers watched as the vehicle slowed down to allow a person-guided truck that lingered in an intersection to pass. When a bicyclist appeared to approach, the vehicle, cruising along at about 15 mph, briefly slowed down until the coast was clear.

By all accounts the demonstration was a success, and May Mobility’s top executive has high hopes that his company’s vehicles may someday soon help remedy traffic problems.

“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to demonstrate how our autonomous vehicle fleet would operate within the Tampa Bay community,” said Edwin Olson, CEO and co-founder of May Mobility. “The potential partnership between HART and the May Mobility team will allow both parties to leverage expertise and set the standard for autonomous transportation in cities and communities across the U.S.”

This story was originally published February 28, 2018 at 6:12 PM with the headline "A funky-looking vehicle was cruising downtown Tampa. The steering wheel was missing."