Autonomous community shuttles are now running in the Orlando, Fla.-area, and the companies behind them are seeking to demonstrate this technology as viable for municipalities, airports, medical campuses, and more.Autonomous community shuttles are now running in the Orlando, Fla.-area, and the companies behind them are seeking to demonstrate this technology as viable for municipalities, airports, medical campuses, and more.
Beep, a new Orlando-based company that provides autonomous mobility solutions, debuted an autonomous shuttle bus and partnership with French manufacturer NAVYA on February 20, at the Lake Nona community – south of the Orlando airport.
The shuttle will circulate around the Lake Nona community on planned routes, and Beep’s goal is to eventually provide on-demand shuttle rides, too. Beep has also become the exclusive Florida dealer and preferred partner for shared mobility autonomous vehicle research and development for NAVYA.
Beep’s NAFA Ties - Of note, NAFA Past President Milton Reid (2003-2005), is co-founder and partner in Beep, and he is joined in the venture by his sons Kevin (a co-founder of Beep and founding partner of venture capital firm Blue Lagoon Cos.) and Mark (who leads Beep’s sales and partnership efforts).
The idea of Beep has its roots in fleet. “We were hanging around a family function and (Milton) started talking about trends in fleet and vehicles, including autonomy and electrification,” Kevin said of his father. “There is so much innovation here in Orlando that we found it very important to be a disruptor.”
Jerome Rigaud, COO of NAVYA, added that the Lake Nona shuttles are built in Michigan, and the company has 120 shuttles operating in 20 countries – primarily in Europe and the Pacific Rim – and has developed a robotic taxi. “We’re building smart cities,” he said. “Tomorrow, we’ll make them a better place to live and to play.”
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer was at the launch event and said the U.S. Department of Transportation certified Orlando as one of its 10 autonomous vehicle testing cities. “Beep’s launch helps to solidify Orlando as the most sustainable city in the southeast,” he said.
Arlington, Va., Las Vegas, and now Orlando have autonomous shuttles, said Jerry Demings, Mayor of Orange County, Fla. “These are exciting times due to all of the technology we live with,” he noted. “If we all drove here in autonomous vehicles, our trip would have been shorter.”
Beep will control all shuttles from its headquarters at Lake Nona. The firm manages shuttle functions from route planning to on-board interactive services. Its goal is to provide the next generation of passenger mobility services for fleet operators in planned communities and low speed environments across the public and private sector, including transportation hubs, medical and university campuses, town centers, and more.
(Photos: 1. NAFA Past President Milton Reid (L) with the new Beep shuttle; 2. Beep Co-Founder Kevin Reid unveils the Beep autonomous shuttle, manufactured by NAVYA in Michigan; 3. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer at the Beep shuttle launch.)
NAFA Fleet Management Association
http://www.nafa.org/