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Opinion: A way to get transit on Beltline

https://www.ajc.com/opinion/opinion-...K4I5DDD3ASSEQ/

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- Autonomous shuttles can provide efficient, electric, and inexpensive mass transportation for a fraction of light rail’s cost. — The invention and subsequent rapid development of autonomous transit have brought about a more diverse set of transportation investment options for consideration. Autonomous, mass transit shuttles operating on geo-fenced closed loops are consistent, reliable, and, more importantly, cost-effective.

- Light rail on the Beltline will cost upwards of $570 million and be complete sometime around 2045, assuming funding gaps are closed. Autonomous shuttles, on the other hand, can provide efficient, electric, and inexpensive mass transportation on the entire Beltline for a fraction of the cost. Each electric autonomous shuttle costs approximately $500,000. To cover the whole Beltline with constantly circulating autonomous shuttles, you’d need nearly 200 shuttles.

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