The Jacksonville Transportation Authority has begun seeking proposals for a pilot program that could include retrofitting JTA buses and passenger vehicles with autonomous technology, an early indication of interest in expanding self-driving public transit beyond Downtown. In the request for proposals, filed as P-26-014, JTA says it “is soliciting innovative technology solutions through a structured Test & Learn Research & Development (R&D) program. “This includes but (is) not limited to the following Areas: Advanced Autonomous Vehicle Operations, Smart Connected Infrastructure, and related Safety Technologies that will be appropriate for the Pilot deployment of the AVs and technology surrounding it in support of the Ultimate Urban Circulator (U²C) Project in the Jacksonville urban core,” the RFP reads. “The JTA sees autonomous technology as an important part of the future of mobility solutions,” Taniel Koushakjian, a JTA spokesperson, wrote in a statement. “While we are committed to ensuring a safe and successful deployment of AVs in downtown Jacksonville through the U2C program, we are also exploring opportunities to deploy this technology in other areas such as our ReadiRide Zones.” In mid-2025, JTA launched its Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation system of autonomous shuttles along a 3.5-mile route Downtown, mostly on Bay Street. The NAVI service is part of JTA’s Ultimate Urban Circulator system, or U2C, which, if fully developed, would cost upward of $400 million. NAVI is funded through a mix of state, federal and local funding. The request for proposals comes as JTA develops successive phases of the U2C after starting with the $65 million NAVI component. In a document provided in response to a public records request by the Daily Record, JTA says that respondents to the RFP are “expected to provide an Autonomous Solution(s)” that would include “Autonomous Vehicle Shuttles, Autonomous kit for Automobile Retrofits, Bus Retrofits, and other Autonomous