Autonomous mobility provider Beep has begun operating the Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s autonomous vehicle service, NAVI (Neighbourhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation). The company is claiming NAVI as the US’s first fully autonomous public transportation system.

The City of Jacksonville, Florida, is geographically large with low-density. The addition of NAVI vehicles will improve efficiency and safety and offer more reliable first- and last-mile services. It will also expand access to more destinations and riders.

Subject to a five-year O&M contract, the NAVI service is part of the JTA’s Ultimate Urban Circulator (U2C) programme.

In the first phase of the JTA’s U2C programme, Beep will operate and maintain a customised fleet of 14 electric, autonomous, Buy America and ADA compliant Ford E-Transit vehicles integrated with Oxa’s automated driving system (ADS). Beep’s technology will support both vehicle deployment and command centre operations from the JTA’s new Autonomous Innovation Centre (AIC).

The vehicles will be deployed along the Bay Street Innovation Corridor, a 3.5-mile route in central Jacksonville with 12 stops from the Central Business Core to the Sports and Entertainment District, encouraging town centre revitalisation.

“Beep is proud to improve safety, expand access, and optimise public transit in Jacksonville with the first fully autonomous system in the nation. Building this system is a significant milestone to achieve fully sustainable, smart cities,” said Kevin Reid, Chairman of the Board and newly appointed CEO of Beep. “Our strong, long-term partnership with the visionary leaders at the JTA has laid the groundwork for the transformation of mobility and accessibility across the nation.”

“The goal of the Ultimate Urban Circulator is to provide multi-modal transit options that improve the city’s health, economy, and environment,” said JTA CEO Nat Ford. “The launch of NAVI is a crucial step toward a smarter, more accessible, better-connected Jacksonville – a city that is defining the future of mobility.”