JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (May 31, 2024) – The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) and Guident, a leading AV teleoperation technology company, hosted their second-annual National Autonomous Vehicle Day event at the JTA’s Test & Learn Facility. The event brought together industry leaders to share their expertise on autonomous vehicle technology and infrastructure advancement during several panel discussions.
The first panel discussion, moderated by Jacksonville District 14 Councilman Rahman Johnson, featured an update on the Bay Street Innovation Corridor, phase 1 of the Ultimate Urban Circulator (U2C) program. The panel featured JTA CEO Nat Ford, JTA SVP/Chief Infrastructure & Development Officer Greer Johnson Gillis, and JTA VP of Automation and Innovation Kiet Dinh.
“National Autonomous Vehicle Day is an opportunity to bring AV industry leaders here to Jacksonville, fostering AV industry collaboration and deeper learning,” said JTA CEO Nat Ford. “I am grateful to the many public and private partners working alongside JTA on this journey. I look forward to seeing residents and visitors benefit from our shared vision of providing autonomous mobility in the very near future.”
The event continued with sessions focused on innovative autonomous mobility solutions, featuring presentations by Auvetech, Holon, Adastec, and Guident, moderated by Kerri Stewart, Miller Electric’s Chief Strategy Officer. Additionally, a panel on ‘Building an Autonomous Infrastructure,’ moderated by the City of Jacksonville Chief of Staff Darnell Smith, featured discussions on the current state of AV and infrastructure industry insights presented by Airspan, Jacobs Engineering, Miller Electric, Novelsat and SAE/AVSC.
“Guident is honored to co-host the National Autonomous Vehicle Conference alongside JTA. This marks our third annual event dedicated to advancing the autonomous vehicle industry and supporting all its ecosystem stakeholders. Each year, Guident strives to enhance the safety and availability of autonomous vehicles and robots. With AV Day, we aim to foster the exchange of ideas with industry leaders, sparking new projects, partnerships, and collaborations in autonomous mobility.” said Guident CEO Harald Braun.
The event concluded with a discussion on the future of autonomous vehicle technology, featuring panelists from Beep, Houston Metro, the City of Altamonte Springs, and the North Carolina Department of Transportation, moderated by ACES Mobility Coalition Executive Director Scott Belcher.
Oxford University Professor Dr. Paul Newman served as the event’s keynote speaker and discussed autonomous vehicle learning. Newman is also the President & Chief Technology Officer of Oxa, an autonomous vehicle software development company based in Oxford, England. Oxa has partnered with the JTA ahead of the opening of the Bay Street Innovation Corridor in 2025.
To learn more about the JTA’s Bay Street Innovation Corridor project and other autonomous plans, visit u2c.jtafla.com.
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The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is an independent state agency serving Jacksonville, Florida and Northeast Florida with multi-modal responsibilities. The JTA provides varied mass public transit services, and is a builder of roads, bridges, and other infrastructure to enhance mobility in Jacksonville. Public transportation services include BRT and regular bus service, paratransit, the St. Johns River Ferry, Skyway APM, and other mobility and on-demand services in Duval, Clay, Nassau, and St. Johns counties. To learn more, visit www.jtafla.com.
Guident commercializes patented technology to enable the deployment of safer autonomous vehicles, robots, and devices by providing industry-leading remote monitor, control, assistance, and passenger support services, improving the safety and availability of autonomous vehicles and robots. To learn more, please visit https://guident.com.