No fare, no driving: Autonomous shuttle service rolls out in Atlanta ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A free autonomous shuttle service connecting part of the Atlanta Beltline with a MARTA station and a mixed-use development launches on Friday. ATL Spoke’s two-mile route has stops at the MARTA West End Station, Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard at Beecher Street and two locations in the Lee + White District — the food hall and Boxcar/Wild Heaven. Funded by a $1.75 million grant from the Georgia Transportation Efficiency Authority, the 12-month pilot project marks the city’s first use of autonomous public transit. It’s powered by Beep, an autonomous mobility services company. “As we seek to create an integrated and connected transportation network, ATL Spoke showcases the way innovative thinking can solve the first-mile last-mile connectivity challenges when we work with partners like MARTA, the Georgia Transportation Efficiency Authority, and Beep,” Clyde Higgs, president and CEO of Atlanta Beltline, Inc., said in a statement. “This project is piloting the future of neighborhood mobility in a way that improves access to transit and opportunity.” See the map: The shuttle service operates seven days a week from noon to 10 p.m. Each ADA-compliant vehicle can carry up to 12 people and has an onboard attendant. A shuttle arrives at each stop every 12 to 15 minutes. In the fall, organizers hope to add a stop at the Atlanta University Center Consortium. Although the shuttle marks the city of Atlanta’s first autonomous public transit option, similar projects have been launched around metro Atlanta. In 2023 and 2024, the Cumberland Hopper ran loops around the Cobb Galleria and over the I-285 Transit and Pedestrian Bridge to The Battery. Although the Hopper’s pilot phase is over, the project paved the way for a $6.6 million grant to fund a