The Tech Corner: Jacksonville Transportation Authority Showcases Next Generation of Mobility

10/9/2023

Autonomous “U2C” Vehicles Redefine What’s Possible in Transit

Autonomous, electric vehicles hit the ground running this fall at Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) to transport students, faculty, and visitors across the school’s downtown campus. The “driverless” vehicles, branded the Ultimate Urban ­Circulator or U2C by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA), are part of the JTA’s visionary initiative to disrupt conventional public transit by offering a new mobility service for the future.

The U2C is one of several “agile” programs the JTA is testing to prepare Jacksonville and Northeast Florida for the 2025 launch of the U2C in the city’s Bay Street Innovation Corridor that runs from the downtown business district to Jacksonville’s sports and entertainment complex. The $49 million project is funded in part by the Federal Transit Administration.

Through a Memorandum of Understanding with FSCJ, the JTA and the college formed a partnership in 2020 to implement a curriculum to prepare students for the workforce of tomorrow in the areas of autonomous and electric vehicle (EV) technology. In addi­tion to supporting the school’s curriculum, the new U2C service operating on campus provides an avenue to glean important feedback from riders about the travel experience. The U2C vehicles also provide a necessary service by connecting individuals to FSCJ’s Advanced Technology Center, the Office of the President, and Cafeteria.

The JTA’s partnership with FSCJ is one of several initiatives the Authority has launched to raise awareness about autonomous vehicle (AV) technology.

Last May, the JTA sponsored the second-annual “National Autonomous Vehicle Day 2023” in Jacksonville in collaboration with Guident Autonomous Intelligence. The daylong event featured speakers from throughout the world and AV demonstrations of U2C technology at the JTA’s Armsdale Test and Learn Facility, where it has been testing vehicles for safety and efficiency since 2017. The Authority has yet to determine a vehicle manufacturer for its AV fleet.

When Phase One is operational in 2025, Jacksonville will be one of the first cities in the U.S. with a safe, convenient, autonomous, ­electric, shared mobility network.

The JTA amplified its advocacy for AV technology this summer with the launch of an innovative webinar series featuring national and international experts, industry peers, and trailblazers in the AV movement.

For Episode One of “Autonomous Mobility: Conversations, Challenges, Solutions,” scan the QR code above. For more about the JTA’s autonomous vehicle program, visit u2c.jtafla.com.