South Carolina’s Greenville County was recently awarded a $4 million Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for a new automated taxi service.
County officials stated they will use the funds to deploy an integrated system of driverless taxi-shuttles, known as A-Taxis, on public roads. Each A-Taxi will provide service to and from employment centers and help improve access to transportation for mobility-impaired and disadvantaged residents.
“Technology is the future of U.S. transportation,” Acting Federal Highway Administrator Brandye Hendrickson said. “These funds will help Greenville County lead the nation into a future with more driverless vehicles, which will improve mobility for some and reduce traffic congestion for all.”
Established under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, the ATCMTD program funds new technologies that are deployed to enhance existing traffic capacity for commuters and businesses.
Throughout 2017, the program has funded a total of 10 projects valued at approximately $54 million with technologies ranging from advanced real-time traveler information for drivers, public transit riders, and freight shippers; vehicle-to-infrastructure communications to enhance safety; and congestion-relieving traffic management systems.