JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Despite mounting concerns about Jacksonville’s autonomous vehicle program, the Florida Department of Transportation is not pulling the plug on a critical grant tied to the Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s NAVI system.
This comes even as an internal FDOT document obtained by Action News Jax Ben Becker reveals serious concerns about the program’s performance, highlighting what it calls “shortcomings” that are costing taxpayers roughly $1 million every month.
Autonomous vision meets real-world problems
Autonomous vehicles have long been pitched as the future of downtown transportation in Jacksonville.
“The NAVI service is going to bring us returns far greater than the actual today’s cost,” said JTA CEO Nat Ford in January.
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.
READ: City leaders scrutinize autonomous shuttle program as JTA eyes rate hikes for paratransit service
An internal FDOT report outlines several operational limitations with the current NAVI vehicles, which are Ford E-Transit vans equipped with autonomous technology.
Among the issues cited:
- Vehicles cannot change lanes
- Difficulty pulling into and out of stops
- Sudden hard braking due to misreading conditions
Funding at risk, but not pulled
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.
That agreement states federal officials may terminate funding if JTA fails to secure additional grant support.
READ: JTA employees paid to ride NAVI shuttle, inflating ridership on taxpayers’ dime
Despite those risks, FDOT says it will continue payments under the current agreement.
“FDOT plans to administer its contractual payment in accordance with the terms and conditions of the executed agreement,” a spokesperson said.
High cost, low ridership
Critics say the numbers don’t add up.
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.
Jacksonville City Councilman Rory Diamond has been outspoken in his criticism.
“When I say NAVI, you say what?, asked Becker. “Boondoggle,” said Diamond. “This is a vanity project driven by executive leadership at JTA.”
READ: Schedule and safety concerns with JTA’s new NAVI service: No rides on game days
Questions over “autonomous” claims
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.
JTA has described NAVI as “the first fully autonomous public transportation system network in the United States,” implying Level 5 capability, full automation under all conditions.
However, that claim is not accurate.
The NAVI vehicles currently require a human operator behind the wheel.
FDOT acknowledged this in its report:
“FDOT recognizes that JTA’s 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.”
READ: ‘Can we cancel it?’ Jacksonville councilman talks possibility of nixing JTA’s NAVI, U2C
What comes next
JTA plans to eventually replace the current vans with HOLON autonomous shuttles by 2027.
However, those vehicles are not yet street legal and lack certain required safety features.
Councilman Diamond says the city should cut its losses now.
“The Jacksonville City Council is just pretending this nightmare is not happening… there’s absolutely no way we can afford to give them any more money.”
JTA did not respond to requests for a statement.
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