Residents in Peachtree Corners will soon have a new way to get around town this fall, thanks to a new fleet of autonomous shuttles.
PAUL (Piloting Autonomous Use Locally) will launch next week for residents shuffling between City Hall and breweries, hotels, and other key spots along Research Drive.
The four-shuttle fleet is all-electric and manufactured by Navya (based in Arizona) and Local Motors (based in France). It will be operated by Beep, a Florida-based eco-friendly autonomous transportation venture. T-Mobile’s 5G network capabilities and collaborations with other Curiosity Lab companies will help get the autonomous shuttles going.
The shuttles will run throughout the workweek from 10am to 4pm starting next week, making stops around Curiosity Lab’s 3.0-mile test track. The speed will be capped at 12mph, according to the city’s website.
While the shuttles will be autonomous, Beep Command Center (BCC) will provide continuous human monitoring.
Beep has made its mark across Florida with its “first-mile, last-mile” shuttles found at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and other strategic locations.
For city manager Brian Johnson, the shuttle fleet is another way Peachtree Corners is leading the mobility-as-a-service space.
“From the beginning, we’ve made it our mission to create the city street of the future in the most differentiated smart city environment in North America – and with Beep launching the new PAUL autonomous shuttle service, we’re continuing to break new ground,” said Johnson. “This deployment not only allows for the continued development and deployment of safe, enjoyable and eco-friendly transportation options – but it also allows a true mobility-as-a-service pioneer like Beep to leverage our city-owned V2X infrastructure and vibrant ecosystem to help accelerate new technology development that further enhances safety and earns critical trust from the public.”
Behind The Mobility Technology
The shuttles are powered by the city-owned Cellular-V2X (vehicle-to-everything) infrastructure, something that has put Peachtree Corners and the Curiosity Lab on the map over the last few years.
PAUL’s implementation is a big step for Peachtree Corners’ Level 4 and 5 autonomous capabilities. Not only will riders enjoy a more convenient transportation option, but real-time data will be collected from the shuttles and advanced video analytics will help the shuttles integrate into the AV (autonomous vehicle) testing track that runs one of the city’s main streets.
The city recently announced a new partnership with OVHcloud, designed to help store and analyze Mobility-as-a Service data coming from the testing track.
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