Self-driving pods pilot program to arrive at Atlanta’s airport
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Atlanta is entertaining the idea of mini driverless pods to get airport employees to and from work and cut down on the daily traffic around College Park and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. **ATLANTA** - More than 150,000 people work within a six-mile radius of the world’s busiest airport, but for some of them, transportation to and from work can be difficult. It is so bad. In fact, a recent survey found Atlanta airport employees commute nearly twice as long as others in the metro Atlanta area. Officials are trying to solve that by using autonomous vehicles.
The company "Glydways" has agreed to bring their sleek and gray self-driving pods to the Peach State. "Personal rapid transit, as well as micro transit and autonomous shuttles, we believe is the future of public transportation," said Gerald McDowell, executive director of the ATL Airport CID. The Glydways autonomous, on-demand vehicles will make a few stops around the airport and the Georgia International Convention Center complex in College Park. **(Supplied)** When you hear personal rapid transit, think small. The Glydways autonomous pods will carry just four people.
The pilot is estimated to cost about $20 million and feature a few stops around the Georgia International Convention Center complex in College Park. The project is part of an effort to look at more cost-effective transportation options beyond buses and trains when they are not in service. "We're hoping in the next two to four years we will be able to make the determination if these innovative mobility solutions will be viable for our communities to offer in the future," McDowell said.