JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Transportation Authority and German automotive manufacturer HOLON unveiled the prototype for their new fully autonomous vehicle on Wednesday — a sleek, driverless shuttle the agency hopes will transform downtown transportation.
JTA has already preordered 100 of the vehicles, priced at an estimated $409,000 each. The futuristic shuttles are designed to replace the modified Ford Transit vans currently operating the route.
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But there’s one major problem: the vehicles aren’t legal to drive on U.S. roads.
During a recent JTA committee meeting, a member of the Duval DOGE Committee noted that HOLON’s autonomous shuttles have not been approved for operation anywhere in the country.
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Holon has applied for a waiver from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that would allow its vehicles to operate without traditional equipment such as driver controls, windshields, lamps, and crash protection systems. HOLON’s request has been pending since November of last year— and there’s no guarantee it will be approved.
If denied, it’s unclear what that would mean for JTA’s purchase agreement.
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Regardless of the outcome, JTA has already signed a deal to buy 100 Holon shuttles.
The rollout comes as JTA faces growing scrutiny over its autonomous vehicle program. The agency’s current semi-autonomous shuttles — converted Ford Transit vans — still require a driver behind the wheel when routes become too complex for the technology.
Last week, Action News Jax reported that JTA is also in a contract dispute with software provider Balfour Beatty, which could leave the system without an operating platform for months after the end of the year.
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