JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 Despite mounting concerns about Jacksonville\u2019s autonomous vehicle program, the Florida Department of Transportation is not pulling the plug on a critical grant tied to the Jacksonville Transportation Authority\u2019s NAVI system.<\/p>\n
This comes even as an internal FDOT document obtained by Action News Jax Ben Becker reveals serious concerns about the program\u2019s performance, highlighting what it calls \u201cshortcomings\u201d that are costing taxpayers roughly $1 million every month.<\/p>\n
Autonomous vision meets real-world problems<\/p>\n
Autonomous vehicles have long been pitched as the future of downtown transportation in Jacksonville.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe NAVI service is going to bring us returns far greater than the actual today\u2019s cost,\u201d said JTA CEO Nat Ford in January.<\/p>\n
But an Action News Jax investigation found the $65 million NAVI program, funded through a mix of federal, state, and local dollars, nearly hit a major financial roadblock.<\/p>\n
READ: City leaders scrutinize autonomous shuttle program as JTA eyes rate hikes for paratransit service<\/a><\/p>\n An internal FDOT report outlines several operational limitations with the current NAVI vehicles, which are Ford E-Transit vans equipped with autonomous technology.<\/p>\n Among the issues cited:<\/p>\n Vehicles cannot change lanesDifficulty pulling into and out of stopsSudden hard braking due to misreading conditionsFunding at risk, but not pulled<\/p>\n Because of these concerns, JTA risked losing up to $6 million in state funding by the end of April, and potentially $12.5 million more in federal funds tied to a 2018 USDOT grant.<\/p>\n That agreement states federal officials may terminate funding if JTA fails to secure additional grant support.<\/p>\n READ: JTA employees paid to ride NAVI shuttle, inflating ridership on taxpayers\u2019 dime<\/a><\/p>\n Despite those risks, FDOT says it will continue payments under the current agreement.<\/p>\n \u201cFDOT plans to administer its contractual payment in accordance with the terms and conditions of the executed agreement,\u201d a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n High cost, low ridership<\/p>\n Critics say the numbers don\u2019t add up.<\/p>\n FDOT data shows the system costs about $1 million per month to operate, serving just 973 monthly riders. That breaks down to more than $1,000 per rider.<\/p>\n Jacksonville City Councilman Rory Diamond has been outspoken in his criticism.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I say NAVI, you say what?, asked Becker. \u201cBoondoggle,\u201d said Diamond. \u201cThis is a vanity project driven by executive leadership at JTA.\u201d<\/p>\n READ: Schedule and safety concerns with JTA\u2019s new NAVI service: No rides on game days<\/a><\/p>\n Questions over \u201cautonomous\u201d claims<\/p>\n There are five federally recognized levels of vehicle autonomy. Level 1 includes basic driver assistance features like adaptive cruise control, while Level 4 systems, like those used by Waymo, can operate independently in certain conditions.<\/p>\n JTA has described NAVI as \u201cthe first fully autonomous public transportation system network in the United States,\u201d implying Level 5 capability, full automation under all conditions.<\/p>\n However, that claim is not accurate.<\/p>\n The NAVI vehicles currently require a human operator behind the wheel.<\/p>\n FDOT acknowledged this in its report:<\/p>\n \u201cFDOT recognizes that JTA\u2019s current NAVI vehicles do not operate at Level 5 autonomy. FDOT does not prescribe a specific level of autonomy as a condition of participation in this locally led project.\u201d<\/p>\n READ: \u2018Can we cancel it?\u2019 Jacksonville councilman talks possibility of nixing JTA\u2019s NAVI, U2C<\/a><\/p>\n What comes next<\/p>\n JTA plans to eventually replace the current vans with HOLON autonomous shuttles by 2027.<\/p>\n However, those vehicles are not yet street legal and lack certain required safety features.<\/p>\n Councilman Diamond says the city should cut its losses now.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Jacksonville City Council is just pretending this nightmare is not happening\u2026 there\u2019s absolutely no way we can afford to give them any more money.\u201d<\/p>\n JTA did not respond to requests for a statement.<\/p>\n >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<<\/a><\/p>\n [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks<\/a>]<\/p>\n