UGA joins national travel center to bring self-driving tech to rural areas

ATHENS, Ga. — University of Georgia researchers are taking part in research as part of a push to expand autonomous vehicles to rural and tribal communities nationwide.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] It’s part of a $15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Tribal and Rural Autonomous Vehicles for Efficiency, Livability and Safety — or TRAVELS Center includes six partnering institutions: Oklahoma State University, the University of Washington, Morgan State University, Northern Oklahoma College, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of Georgia.

UGA will receive about $3.6 million to bring autonomous vehicle technology to rural Georgia.

More than one-fifth of Georgians live in a rural area with transportation challenges despite an affordable cost of living.