Beep Powers Fully Autonomous Public Transit System in Jacksonville

• Beep is now running a driverless shuttle network in Jacksonville, Florida, as part of a five-year deal with the city’s transportation authority.
• The company raised $52.7M in new funding co-led by Intel Capital and Blue Lagoon Capital.

Beep, a provider of autonomous transit operations and fleet management technology, has begun running NAVI in Jacksonville, Florida. As the first phase of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s Ultimate Urban Circulator (U2C) program, NAVI is described as the nation’s first fully autonomous public transit system. Beep is managing a service under a five-year contract, utilizing 14 electric Ford E-Transit vehicles equipped with Oxa’s automated driving system.

The service connects 12 stops across Jacksonville’s Bay Street Innovation Corridor, linking the Central Business Core with the Sports and Entertainment District. Beep manages the entire system, including deployment, routing, and supervision, through its AV-agnostic AutonomOS platform. Vehicles equipped with Oxa’s automated driving system are coordinated from the Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s new Autonomous Innovation Center.

Beep also announced the closing of a $52.7 million funding round co-led by Intel Capital and Blue Lagoon Capital, bringing its total capital raised to $97.7 million. Chairman Kevin Reid has assumed the CEO role as the company seeks to expand its vehicle-agnostic, transit-scale model. To date, Beep has managed 38 autonomous shuttle deployments across nine states.

"Our continued investment in Beep reflects our confidence in their vision for building the next generation of public transit systems that reduce traffic congestion, improve rider safety, and expand accessibility," said Mark Rostick, Senior Managing Director at Intel Capital, in a press release. "As the company's longtime chairman, Kevin brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the CEO role and is well-equipped to lead the Jacksonville program and Beep's future expansion into new communities."

🌀 Tom’s Take:

As public transit embraces autonomy, the real opportunity may lie not in the vehicles themselves, but in who runs them. Beep isn’t chasing the hardware; it’s building the operating layer for cities rethinking mobility at scale.

Source: Beep