Before the end of 2020, the JTA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) to open a Test & Learn Track at the college’s Cecil Field to continue testing and development of autonomous vehicles. Meanwhile, JTA leadership and Board members kept the U 2 C program top-of-mind among their peers in the industry and in the public by promoting it whenever they could. They were ambassadors who were well-prepared to answer questions and explain the concept of automated vehicles in the Jacksonville and Northeast Florida community. While in Germany to accept the ITS award, JTA Board member Jolly toured the HOLON AV manufacturing plant and met with top HOLON executives to share information about the JTA’s exciting U 2 C program that was still in development.
The initiative proved so valuable that in late 2020, the JTA received world recognition when it was given the ITS World Congress Hall of Fame Local Government Award for the Americas Region at the 27th World Congress in Hamburg, Germany. The Authority also received the 1st Place Award for Innovation & Creativity for the Mayo Clinic partnership from the Florida Public Transportation Association (FPTA). The JTA’s altruism went beyond Mayo. In 2020 two other programs were launched that enabled people to obtain COVID vaccinations, Wellness on Wheels and Rides to Health. The JTA’s Wellness on Wheels was a 30-day program campaign that provided more than 11,000 people with rides to state and federal vaccination sites using free, one-day passes. The Authority’s Maintenance Department also converted buses to use as mobile health clinics to enable more residents to receive vaccinations. The program received an FPTA award. To implement Rides to Health, the Authority formed partnerships with Uber and ZTrip to provide 4,000 free rides to COVID vaccination and screening sites within a three-mile radius.
In 2021, the Jacksonville City Council passed a second LOGT to generate $1 billion during the next 30 years for the city and JTA-led infrastructure improvements. The JTA also celebrated the Authority’s 50th Anniversary that year and completed the last leg of the First Coast Flyer system, making its 57- mile system the biggest bus rapid transit network in the Southeast.
The MOVE strategic plan adopted in 2020 became MOVE2027 in 2022, which focused on mobility partnerships that enhanced accessibility and connectivity that the Authority could implement within five years. The smorgasbord of services includes rapid transit, microtransit, fixed-route, on-demand, ferry, door-to- door services and paratransit. The Authority’s service area has grown from Jacksonville and surrounding Duval County to Clay, Nassau, and St. Johns counties in the suburbs and effectively established the JTA as the leading transportation provider in Northeast Florida.
In August of that year, the JTA Board awarded a contract to Balfour Beatty Vision 2 Reality (V2R), to build the first phase of the U 2 C program on Bay Street. Balfour was also the contractor that built the Authority’s landmark Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center (JRTC) at LaVilla, a $57 million facility that houses the JTA headquarters, bus transfer facility, and 10,000 square foot Greyhound Intercity Bus Terminal.
ULTIMATE URBAN CIRCULATOR – A CASE STUDY | 19
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