The next step toward widespread commercial use of autonomous vehicles might be here.

California-based technology company Autolane said the first full-scale, end-to-end test site for its OpenCurb OS is now live in the San Francisco Bay Area, providing a demonstration of the system’s real-world capabilities.

OpenCurb OS is a curbside operating system designed to manage autonomous vehicle arrivals for big-box retailers, shopping centers and high-volume quick-service restaurants. The company said OpenCurb’s dedicated curb lanes support autonomous delivery pickups and autonomous ride-hailing passenger drop-offs and pickups.

In a news release, Autolane said OpenCurb OS is “an important milestone” for the autonomous vehicle industry, providing standardized curb management ro address the “last 50 feet” problem of connecting vehicles to customers.

Systems such as OpenCurb, the company said, could accelerate AV adoption by giving cities and businesses confidence in safe, organized curb operations.

“From drive-throughs to destination malls, the curb is fast becoming the front door of every customer journey,” Autolane CEO and co-founder Ben Seidl said. “OpenCurb turns today’s chaotic curbs into orchestrated hand-off zones built for an autonomous future.

“Our Bay Area installation proves fully autonomous pickup and drop-off infrastructure isn’t years away. It’s here, and it’s ready to help businesses serve visitors and customers faster and safer than ever.”

Autolane said OpenCurb’s OS is built for properties where curbside efficiency drives revenue and guest satisfaction.

That includes managing robotaxis and extending tenants’ AV delivery capabilities for malls and shopping centers; automating drive-through and curbside meal pickups and dedicating AV ride-hailing lanes for high-volume QSRs; accelerating fulfillment of online orders and routing AV ride-hailing drop-offs/pickups and AV deliveries for big-box retailers and grocers; and streamlining large events and high-volume autonomous ride-hailing traffic in parking lots at stadiums and theme parks.

The system is designed to:

  • Schedule autonomous vehicles to designated curb spaces, authenticate arrivals, guide parking, and automate trunk access to minimize congestion and human intervention.

 

  • Offer real-time site management through a cloud-based dashboard that provides live oversight across multiple lanes and locations, with analytics to optimize traffic flow and delivery times.

 

  • Ensure faster, more predictable AV ride-hailing passenger pickups/drop-offs and deliveries at high-traffic sites.

 

Autolane said it is engaging initial pilot partners in Texas and California this year to launch OpenCurb OS AV parking lanes.