The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is giving people a new way to grab a meal using an autonomous vehicle.
It’s called the Brooklyn AV Circulator, and it’s a free service for anyone who wants to give it a try.
JTA officials said it’s a new and innovative way to get around the city.
“We can’t put 40-foot buses everywhere, throughout the entire region and our service territory, so we see that these AVs offer an opportunity to provide some first and last circulator services that can get folks to destinations and high capacity bus services,” said Kiet Dinh, vice president of Automation and Innovation at JTA.
News4JAX went for a ride where a shuttle attendant was behind the steering wheel, but would only take control in situations where the safety of passengers would be at risk.
“The route has been programmed into the system. So the vehicle runs fully autonomous,” said Marcus, the safety attendant.
The self-driving shuttle gives people an option to check out 14 different restaurants and businesses along Riverside Avenue where riders can grab lunch.
The shuttle runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and does pick-ups and drop-offs every 15 minutes.
JTA has worked on this self-driving shuttle project since 2017, and Brooklyn is the newest area where the agency is testing the technology. Students and staff at FSCJ Downtown got the chance to ride in the vehicles to get around the campus from February to July. The shuttle has sensors that make it possible for the vehicle to stop for oncoming traffic, stoplights and pedestrians.
JTA officials encourage people to try the service during their lunch break to see what the new technology is all about.
“We are getting the word out and wanting all of the folks in the community to experience it, ride it and most importantly give us that feedback,” said Dinh.
After this two-month run, JTA says it hopes that feedback will help them prepare for the official launch of its Bay Street self-driving shuttle next year, which will make stops along the Bay Street corridor, including at EverBank Stadium.
The Brooklyn AV Circulator shuttle service runs until Oct. 25.
JTA plans to launch the Bay Street shuttle service in June of next year.