The code has hit the road for Oxa, a global provider of self-driving vehicle software, as the company launches its first commercial Oxa Driver product in passenger shuttles in Jacksonville, Florida. The services are a major investment in the city’s downtown area and are operated by US shuttle service provider Beep in partnership with the Jacksonville Transport Authority (JTA) and the Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ).
The shuttles are part of an autonomous vehicle (AV) program licensed by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). They support the JTA and FSCJ’s ambition to become beacons for autonomous transportation as the college builds AV skills into its academic track and the city begins major investment in autonomous transport as part of an Ultimate Urban Circulator Project.
Oxa Driver enables vehicle automation independent of human control but trained safety attendants will be used on the FSCJ route to boost confidence and trust while passengers get used to the self-driving experience. The first rollout will be followed by 7 more featuring Oxa software planned in cities across the US and UK in 2024.
Oxa calculates the two most viable arenas – Passenger Shuttles and Industrial Logistics – will form an addressable software market worth multi-billions of dollars a year. This is based on the number of vehicles that can benefit from self-driving software, potential revenue per vehicle, and the commercial and technological viability of making the shift.
