Dive Brief:
- The Cumberland Community Improvement District and Cobb County, Georgia, plan to launch an autonomous shuttle service across Metro Atlanta’s Cumberland district.
- The Federal Transit Administration awarded Cobb County $6.6 million under the Low or No Emission Grant Program for the project.
- Beep, an autonomous vehicle company, will partner with the CID and the county to operate the network and integrate it with the county’s public transit system.
Dive Insight:
The Cumberland Autonomous Mobility network will operate eight accessible autonomous shuttles when it begins service in 2027. The project is the first and only AV transit project in the U.S. to receive a Low-No grant award, according to the CID.
“The Cumberland initiative shows how new technologies can enhance mobility and improve the daily travel experience for communities across our state,” Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry said in a statement.
The network will connect entertainment venues and area attractions such as the Cobb Convention Center, Cumberland Mall, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and the Atlanta Braves’ baseball stadium, according to the CID.
Beep operates autonomous shuttle services in California, Florida and Hawai'i, including the first autonomous public transit shuttle service in the U.S., which began operating in Jacksonville, Florida, in July. “The CAM Network represents the next evolution of mobility: safe, connected, and scalable,” Beep CEO and Chairman Kevin Reid said in a statement.
The Cumberland CID got its start in 1988 and has since invested more than $180 million in infrastructure and transportation improvements. Among these are a bike-share program, bike and pedestrian trails and road widenings.
The Cumberland grant was part of $2 billion in Federal Transit Administration awards under the Low-No and Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities programs, announced Nov. 20 by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The grants will go to 165 transit projects in 45 states and Washington, D.C., and will support procurement of 2,400 buses, according to the FTA.
“With these grants, thousands of new buses will hit the road and infrastructure will be upgraded—making public transit more efficient, affordable and safe for American families," Duffy said in a statement.
