JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is bringing public transportation into a new era with the opening of the Autonomous Innovation Center (AIC) Thursday morning.
Located in the historic LaVilla neighborhood, the $65 million AIC will be the command center for JTA’s autonomous vehicles. JTA’s AV program will be a fully autonomous public transportation system network.
The AV program begins this summer as part of phase 1 of the Ultimate Urban Circulator (U2C) program, with JTA hoping to have more than a dozen AVs up and running.
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On Tuesday, the JTA Board of Directors unanimously approved Resolution 2025-07, authorizing the JTA CEO to negotiate and execute the purchase of the initial 14 autonomous shuttles, which will cost $409,000 each, according to News4JAX news partners at the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Those autonomous shuttles would be deployed along te Bay Street Innovation Corridor, a 3-mile loop called the Bay Street Innovation Corridor, between the downtown core and the sports and entertainment district. Future plans of the U2C include replacing the Skyway and creating an elevated roadway for AVs.
As future phases advance, the CEO was also authorized to negotiate purchase orders for up to an additional 86 vehicles, bringing a total of 100 autonomous vehicles.
In Sept. 2024, autonomous vehicle manufacture HOLON announced plans to construct a manufacturing plant in Jacksonville’s Northside. The plant will be the first AV manufacturing plant in the state, creating more than 800 jobs. According to a study by the University of Florida, the plant will generate nearly $300 million for the local economy.
Mayor Donna Deegan will be in attendance alongside the CEO of JTA Nat Ford. Others in attendance will be Vice Chair of JTA Board of Directors Aundra Wallace, Beep Board of Directors Vice Chairman Joe Moye, and Director of Balfour Betty Dave Campbell.
During the ribbon cutting, the name and branding of the JTA AV program will be officially revealed.
For more information on the U2C, visit the JTA’s website on the program.
