Is U2C serious? Help me make it make sense....

[Jax_Developer]

Spent today at JTA's National Autonomous Vehicle Day event. You can see a live stream of much of the day's events here.

Unsurprisingly, they are incredibly confident about what they are building. Nat Ford was unable to attend due to being in Spain, but Project Manager Angie Williams says that they will be running autonomous shuttles on Bay Street by June of 2025. Specifically June. They are apparently also soon unveiling a new domestically manufactured shuttle that it appears is intended to be ready in time for that opening date. They would not specify which manufacturer.

I took a moment to ask, right about here, about what's being done to ensure that we are not going to repeat the previous history of the Skyway in terms of ending up stuck with somewhat of a dead-end technology because of an initial excitement about its promise. You can see their response for yourself.

I found what I saw today similar to what I saw at that same facility two years ago: a lot of potentially promising experiments and elements and very excited people, but a lot of outstanding questions as to not only whether this technology is ready for revenue passenger service but also why it is Jacksonville's responsibility to be the first to attempt to spend substantial public funds to try and find out. There were still plenty of bugs with the vehicles they showed off today, with software issues causing display problems on the new Holon shuttle and the EV Star van's tablet having to reboot, which resulted in a long wait and a rebuke by JTA staff at my mention to an NJ Transit employee of the cost escalations over the last two years on the Bay Street corridor alone (from $44 million in 2021 to $50 million in 2022 and now $57 million in 2023). JTA doesn't appear to be dissuaded by any of the issues they've previously encountered. I guess we'll get to see the outcome of that.

Classic government. No rhyme or reason needed. Just fall in line. This will ultimately end up being a JEA sale like situation. Someone will uncover the truth a few years from now.. and all the back door dealings will be exposed. It’s just a matter of time. The fact they think the FORD EV is a real solution, pretty much solidifies this utter failure.

[thelakelander]

In May 2021, City Council dedicated $247 million from the local option gas tax increase that JTA will use for U2C second phase.

Schmidt said the final cost of the conversion “will be a little north” of the amount appropriated by the city.

$$$$$$$$

[tufsu1]

^ well, since its a very strong transit project, I'm sure federal and state funds will be available.

[marcuscnelson]

New video out by transit YouTuber Reece Martin.

This is about San Jose’s autonomous airport connector, but a lot of the questions posed here about the idea of transit innovation also apply to us here in Jacksonville.

[Jax_Developer]

Man.. Covid has hit San Jose bad! I guess most of the tech leadership has relocated for this to even get to the stage where it is now. This would have been shot down in a split second a decade ago. With that being said, SJ at least has an existing train, LR & express bus service running around most of town. The problem there through the years was always the relative cost per mile.. SJ has terrible freeway traffic, and the thought of implementing a transit option on an existing ROW like that was just out of the question. Couldn't purchase private land either because an acre is worth well over $1,000,000. Oh, and they couldn't go down at all because of Earthquakes whether that is a real concern with modern engineering or not IDK.

Take our JAX example, we want this pedestrian mover to be our 'heavy duty' transit option.. so much so that we need the grade/ROW separated!! I wish he highlighted the JAX project but understandably it isn't as known about nationally... but he did mention that he agrees with pedestrian movers for a airport, park, etc.. not an entire DT's people mover. Maybe if JAX was actually able to realize its transit hub for heavy rail, & regional rail at the Osborn Center.. the proposal wouldn't sound as silly as it does today.

[thelakelander]

Good video. Great points made. Jax's leaders should be strapped to a chair and forced to watch.

[marcuscnelson]

JTA has received an unsolicited proposal from a New Zealand-based company, Ohmio, to lease 3 "Ohmio Lift" autonomous shuttles for two years.

I've never heard of this company, but you can read more about them at their website here. Competing proposals are due September.

[Jax_Developer]

https://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/e-transit/

This will be the final product when it comes crunch time for the grants.

[Charles Hunter]

https://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/e-transit/

This will be the final product when it comes crunch time for the grants.

There's no "passenger" option on their "build-a-van" page. But, not a great leap, since there are passenger Transyt vans out in the world.

[Jax_Developer]

https://u2c.jtafla.com/

If you goto the Vehicle spec section, you'll see a van they have customized haha so for the right amount of $$ they can get the passenger version. So far the ford vehicle is the only one that meets the grant criteria of being US made.

[Charles Hunter]

Ah, those wacky San Franciscans.
The article has a couple of photos of AVs with traffic cones on the hood.

Grumpy Locals Are Sabotaging Cruise and Waymo Robotaxis With Traffic Cones

Think of it like a dunce cap, but for a car.

A group going by the name "Safe Street Rebel" is fed up with what they perceive to be driverless nuisances. Members have verbally protested against services like Cruise and Waymo from operating in the San Francisco area, but with both companies pushing to further their permitted operating ground, the Safe Street Rebel group has gotten a bit creative with the way that it protests: by disabling the vehicles from driving using traffic cones.
"All you need is a cone and an empty AV," writes the group on Twitter. "Gently place the cone on the hood—you just created a unicorn and temporary traffic calming!"

https://www.thedrive.com/news/rebels-are-disabling-waymo-cruise-robotaxis-with-traffic-cones

[marcuscnelson]

https://u2c.jtafla.com/

If you goto the Vehicle spec section, you'll see a van they have customized haha so for the right amount of $$ they can get the passenger version. So far the ford vehicle is the only one that meets the grant criteria of being US made.

I rode the EV Star at their AV Day event. Personally, I wasn't particularly impressed by the fact that we had to sit waiting for several minutes because the tablet controlling the vehicle crashed and had to reboot. Or getting yelled at by a JTA employee because I wasn't being positive enough about Bay Street's cost increases while we were waiting for said tablet to finish rebooting.

I guess once that all happened it did okay rolling at 10mph around the training course.

[thelakelander]

LOL, I still can't believe this isn't a dream (nightmare) that I can't wake up from. In a logical world, we'd have moved forward with tried and true mass transit options with the BJP money 20 years ago. Unfortunately, in my nightmare, we've moved on from something as questionable as using a people mover instead of LRT back in the 1980s to something even worse and more expensive, with less capacity, than a people mover.....

[marcuscnelson]

It really is just bizarre that our transit agency just keeps doing this same kind of thing over (the Skyway) and over (expanding the Skyway & monorail conversion) and over (BRT and squandering the BJP) and over (the U2C) again.

These aren’t even the same people! Somehow every generation a new gang sets their eyes on JTA and spends years and millions in public money chasing after some wild fantasy, it blows up or sputters out in everyone’s faces, and then they just move on and it all starts over again. It’s nuts!

Meanwhile somehow in the rest of the state real projects like the Orlando Light Rail or Tampa Streetcar Modernization or Miami Metrorail Expansion or Florida HSR or Amtrak Corridor Service get smothered in the cradle.

[edjax]

To me it all points towards new leadership is needed at JTA