Self-driving vehicle systems and methods

1. A method of using a vehicle management system comprising a self-driving vehicle fleet including a plurality of self-driving vehicles, the method comprising:

communicatively coupling the vehicle management system to a remote computing device, wherein the remote computing device is configured to operate software adapted to enable a selection of a first pick-up location; and

directing, via the vehicle management system, a first self-driving vehicle from the self-driving vehicle fleet, to drop-off a rider at a drop-off location.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising instructing, by the vehicle management system, the first self-driving vehicle to go to a predetermined pick-up location of the rider in response to determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system; and

prompting, by the vehicle management system, the first self-driving vehicle to drive to a first area within 250 feet of the drop-off location to pick up the rider in response to determining that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising picking up, by the first self-driving vehicle, the rider in the first area in response to the prompting.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system by sending a first wireless communication to the remote computing device and later determining that the remote computing device did not respond to the first wireless communication.

6. The method of claim 3 , further comprising determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system in response to determining that the vehicle management system has not received a first wireless communication from the remote computing device for a predetermined amount of time.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the predetermined amount of time is greater than thirty seconds and less than sixty minutes.

8. The method of claim 3 , further comprising determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system by determining that a battery of the remote computing device is depleted.

9. The method of claim 3 , further comprising after the prompting:

determining, by the vehicle management system, that the rider is not located in the first area within 250 feet of the drop-off location;

instructing, by the vehicle management system, the first self-driving vehicle to move away from the first area in response to determining that the rider is not located in the first area; and

instructing at least a first portion of the self-driving vehicle fleet to return to the first area after a first period of time to attempt to pick up the rider.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

determining, by the vehicle management system, that the rider is not located in the first area within 250 feet of the drop-off location after the first period of time;

instructing, by the vehicle management system, the first portion of the self-driving vehicle fleet to move away from the first area; and

instructing, by the vehicle management system, at least a second portion of the self-driving vehicle fleet to return to the first area after a second period of time that is greater than the first period of time to attempt to pick up the rider.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

determining, by the vehicle management system, that the rider is not located in the first area within 250 feet of the drop-off location after the second period of time;

instructing, by the vehicle management system, at least the second portion of the self-driving vehicle fleet to move away from the first area; and

instructing, by the vehicle management system, at least a third portion of the self-driving vehicle fleet to return to the first area after a third period of time that is greater than the second period of time to attempt to pick up the rider.

12. The method of claim 3 , further comprising after prompting the first self-driving vehicle to drive to the first area:

determining, by the first self-driving vehicle, that the rider is not located in the first area within 250 feet of the drop-off location; and

in response to determining that the rider is not located in the first area, prompting, by the vehicle management system, the first self-driving vehicle to move to a parking location that is located outside of the first area.

13. The method of claim 3 , wherein the vehicle management system comprises an image analysis system having program instructions configured to analyze images, and the first self-driving vehicle comprises a camera configured to take the images of places located outside the first self-driving vehicle, the method further comprising, after the prompting:

taking a picture, by the camera of the first self-driving vehicle, of at least a portion of the first area;

determining, by the vehicle management system, that the rider is not located in the first area by using the image analysis system to analyze the picture; and

instructing, by the vehicle management system, the first self-driving vehicle to move away from the first area in response to determining that the rider is not located in the first area.

14. The method of claim 3 , further comprising after determining that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system and prompting the first self-driving vehicle to drive to the first area:

determining, by the vehicle management system, that communicative coupling between the vehicle management system and the remote computing device has been restored; and

in response to determining that the communicative coupling has been restored, prompting, by the vehicle management system, the first self-driving vehicle to move away from the first area.

15. The method of claim 3 , further comprising sending a second wireless communication from the vehicle management system to the remote computing device in response to determining that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system, wherein the second wireless communication is configured to elicit a reply wireless communication from the remote computing device to the vehicle management system after the remote computing device regains wireless communication abilities, and later prompting, by the vehicle management system, the first self-driving vehicle to move away from the first area in response to receiving, by the vehicle management system, the reply wireless communication.

16. The method of claim 3 , wherein the vehicle management system comprises a memory having data regarding lengths of time between past drop-off times and past pick-up times associated with at least a portion of a second area within one mile of the drop-off location, the method further comprising selecting, by the vehicle management system at least partially based on the data regarding the lengths of time, a first pick-up time, and later

prompting, by the vehicle management system, the first self-driving vehicle to pick up the rider at the first pick-up time.

17. The method of claim 3 , wherein the vehicle management system comprises a memory having data regarding lengths of time between past drop-off times of the rider and past pick-up times of the rider, the method further comprising selecting, by the vehicle management system at least partially based on the data regarding the lengths of time, a first pick-up time, and later

prompting, by the vehicle management system, the first self-driving vehicle to pick up the rider at the first pick-up time.

18. The method of claim 3 , wherein the vehicle management system comprises a memory having data regarding lengths of time between past drop-off times of the rider and past pick-up times of the rider associated with at least a portion of a second area within 500 feet of the drop-off location, the method further comprising selecting, by the vehicle management system at least partially based on the data regarding the lengths of time, a first pick-up time, and later

prompting, by the vehicle management system, the first self-driving vehicle to pick up the rider at the first pick-up time.

19. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

receiving, by the vehicle management system, a first GPS location data indicative of at least one location of the remote computing device of the rider during a period of time after a vehicle from the self-driving vehicle fleet drops off the rider to the drop-off location and before when the remote computing device becomes no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system; and

prompting, by the vehicle management system, the first self-driving vehicle to pick up the rider at a first pick-up time selected by the vehicle management system at least partially based on the first GPS location data.

20. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

receiving, by the vehicle management system from the remote computing device, an indication that the rider has requested for the self-driving vehicle fleet to pick up the rider at a second area within 500 feet of the drop-off location in response to the remote computing device being unable to communicate with the vehicle management system; and

driving, by the vehicle management system, the first self-driving vehicle to the first area in response to the receiving and in response to the determining.

21. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, by the vehicle management system, a first indication that the remote computing device is communicatively disabled; and

prompting, by the vehicle management system, the first self-driving vehicle to drive to a first area within a predetermined distance of the drop-off location to pick up the rider in response to receiving the first indication.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the predetermined distance is 250 feet.

23. The method of claim 21 , further comprising picking up, by the first self-driving vehicle, the rider in the first area in response to the prompting.

24. The method of claim 21 , after receiving the first indication and prompting the first self-driving vehicle to drive to the first area, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the vehicle management system, a second indication that the remote computing device is communicatively enabled; and

in response to receiving the second indication that the remote computing device is communicatively enabled, prompting, by the vehicle management system, the first self-driving vehicle to move away from the first area.

25. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, by the vehicle management system, first location data indicative of the first pick- up location;

receiving, by the vehicle management system, a first indication that the remote computing device is communicatively disabled;

prompting, by the vehicle management system, the first self-driving vehicle to drive to a first area within a predetermined distance of the first pick-up location in response to receiving the first indication that the remote computing device is communicatively disabled; and

picking up, by the first self-driving vehicle, the rider in the first area in response to the prompting.