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Self-driving pods pilot program to arrive at Atlanta’s airport

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Updated  September 18, 2024 6:14pm EDT
Transportation
FOX 5 Atlanta

Are self-driving pods the future for ATL Airport employees?

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.

In brief:

    • Atlanta airport tackles employee commute challenges with Glydways' self-driving pods pilot program.
    • The $20 million pilot will service the Georgia International Convention Center, potentially expanding airport-wide if successful.
    • Glydways' pods carry four passengers, operate in dedicated lanes, and promise rapid on-demand service.
    • The program could evolve into a 13-to-20-mile regional connector system, increasing local accessibility and opportunity.
    • The autonomous system aims to support 10,000 passengers per hour, with the pilot launching in late 2026.

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.

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. 

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New Glydways autonomous, on-demand vehicles will be coming to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for a trial program. (Supplied)

The pods will operate in dedicated lanes. Glydways says it arrives on-demand, quickly, and goes about 30 mph. 

"This region has been starved of better access for far too long, and we believe we can solve many decades of past due accessibility challenges," said Eliot Temple, a vice president at Glydways. 

If the pilot goes well, they hope to add stops around the entire airport, like Delta’s parking lots, the College Park MARTA Station and more. 

The Glydways autonomous, on-demand vehicles will make a few stops around the airport and the Georgia International Convention Center complex in College Park.

The Glydways autonomous, on-demand vehicles will make a few stops around the airport and the Georgia International Convention Center complex in College Park.

"By having a thirteen-to-twenty-mile regional connector system surrounding the world's busiest airport, we can bring a lot of opportunities here locally that they haven't seen before," Temple said. 

Glydways says its system is designed to handle 10,000 people an hour. 

The pilot is set to be operational by late 2026 and is expected to run for two years. 

Sources: 

  • Glydways, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport