LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Officials in the city of Lincoln are seeking private-sector partners to launch a driverless shuttle service downtown.

State Sen. Mike Hilgers has offered a resolution Wednesday asking the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee to look at the merits of a driverless shuttle pilot project in Lincoln and changes that would be necessary to state law.

Hilgers says the program could reduce costs and congestion while helping Lincoln businesses.

The city was denied a $50 million federal grant last year that would have funded the project with 50 downtown shuttles and 650 passenger cars across Lincoln.

But network engineer David Young says that positive feedback has shown a self-driving shuttle could hit the road as soon as 2018.

No formal deals have been struck yet.