Chamblee Shared Autonomous Vehicle Study

The city of Chamblee expands local transit opportunities to link the MARTA rail station to other nearby neighbourhoods.
With the support of partners, the city wants to increase the number of passengers per autonomous vehicle, by improving the urban design and by considering passenger experiences.

The city of Chamblee, Georgia, is attracting young people and others who seek a walkable, lively urban experience without the steep rents of Atlanta’s popular, higher-density neighbourhoods. The Chamblee MARTA rail station in suburban DeKalb County has been a crucial question for commuters relocating to apartments in the city’s redeveloping core.
“Now the city wants to expand local transit opportunities to link the MARTA rail station to nearby neighbourhoods, some with redevelopment projects already underway”.

Chamblee is using Georgia Smart to partner with a Georgia Tech team, to study how improving urban design and passenger experiences can help build ridership for an experimental mode of transportation — the shared autonomous vehicle.

Chamblee anticipates operating an autonomous shuttle along a mile of Peachtree Road with five stops for 10 hours a day, seven days a week. A second phase could extend the shuttle east of Assembly Yards, a mixed-use development under construction in Doraville. At first, the shuttle will operate semi-autonomously with an onboard attendant in case of emergencies.

The Georgia Tech team is developing a set of recommendations for the city and a best-practice manual to improve the user’s experience of getting to, waiting for, and riding on autonomous shuttle buses. How might they expand walkability throughout Chamblee and build social capital? Can bus stops serve as a community infrastructure? The guide could be applied in other communities in Georgia and around the country.