Football fans in Atlanta will be able to experience autonomous bus technology from Turkish firm Karsan when the Fifa World Cup starts this week.

Karsan has begun providing its autonomous e-Jest services as part of ATL Spoke, Atlanta’s first autonomous public transportation pilot project. The project will help passenger mobility in the city during the tournament.

As well as some World Cup group and knock-out games, Atlanta is scheduled to host one of the semi-finals.

The ATL Spoke project, where the autonomous e-Jest will carry out actual passenger transport, serves as a reference for the use of autonomous mobility in large-scale events. In Atlanta, Georgia, Karsan has begun operations as part of Atlanta’s first autonomous public transportation pilot project, ATL Spoke. This provides free passenger transportation between the Marta West End Station and the Atlanta Beltline Southwest Trail.

“The ATL Spoke project serves as a significant milestone in demonstrating how autonomous technologies create value in actual passenger transport operations,” said Karsan (www.karsan.com) CEO Okan Baş. “This project offers the opportunity to observe the performance of autonomous systems and their impact on the user experience in real-life scenarios for first- and last-mile transportation, and it will also shape the future of urban mobility. Karsan autonomous e-Jest will strengthen public transportation connections by providing high-frequency transportation services and contribute to a more accessible and integrated transportation ecosystem.”

Since 2021, Karsan has been providing services under real-world road conditions with its autonomous e-Atak, a level-four autonomous public transportation vehicle. It has solidified its position in driverless technology with the launch of the e-Jest. Karsan has now begun rolling out the autonomous version of e-Jest on American roads.

Expanding its global autonomous vision to North America, Karsan has started transporting passengers in the USA with autonomous e-Jest with its technology partner Adastec (www.adastec.com), North American distributor Damera and service orchestration partner Beep (ridebeep.com). As of this month, the Karsan autonomous e-Jest has begun providing services in Atlanta, Georgia, as part of ATL Spoke, Atlanta’s first autonomous public transportation pilot project.

Launched through a collaboration between the Atlanta Beltline, Beep, Georgia Transportation Efficiency Authority, the city of Atlanta, and Marta, the project’s route will facilitate access to key destinations such as healthcare centres, restaurants, social spaces and educational institutions. A connection to the Atlanta University Center is also planned for the end of summer.