Karsan’s Autonomous e-JEST began carrying passengers in Atlanta on June 5, operating as part of ATL Spoke, the city’s first autonomous public transportation pilot. The electric Autonomous e-JEST runs a free route between the MARTA West End Station and the Atlanta Beltline Southwest Trail, marking the Turkish manufacturer’s first passenger-carrying autonomous deployment in North America. The project pairs Karsan with technology partner ADASTEC, North American distributor Damera, and service orchestration partner Beep.
Highlights
- The Autonomous e-JEST entered service on June 5, offering free passenger rides between the MARTA West End Station and the Atlanta Beltline Southwest Trail.
- ATL Spoke was launched through a collaboration among the Atlanta Beltline, Beep, the Georgia Transportation Efficiency Authority, the City of Atlanta, and MARTA.
- The route is designed to connect riders to healthcare centers, restaurants, social spaces, and educational institutions, with a link to the Atlanta University Center planned for the end of summer.
- Karsan has operated its Autonomous e-ATAK under real-world conditions since 2021, the platform on which the e-JEST autonomous program builds.
Inside Atlanta’s First Autonomous Transit Pilot
ATL Spoke positions the Autonomous e-JEST as a first- and last-mile connector, linking the MARTA West End rail station to the Atlanta Beltline’s Southwest Trail at no cost to riders. The route is intended to improve access to healthcare centers, restaurants, social spaces, and educational institutions, and a connection to the Atlanta University Center is planned for the end of summer.
The pilot brings together several public and private partners. Karsan supplies the vehicle, ADASTEC provides the automated driving technology, Damera serves as North American distributor, and Beep handles service orchestration. The broader project was launched through a collaboration among the Atlanta Beltline, Beep, the Georgia Transportation Efficiency Authority, the City of Atlanta, and MARTA.
Karsan says the deployment will also support passenger mobility in the city during the period of the world’s largest soccer tournament, when the company expects elevated demand across Atlanta’s transit network.
Building on the Autonomous e-ATAK
Karsan has provided service since 2021 with the Autonomous e-ATAK, which the company describes as the world’s first Level 4 autonomous public transportation vehicle. The Autonomous e-JEST followed as a more compact model, and the Atlanta launch extends that program onto U.S. roads. Under the SAE framework, Level 4 refers to high automation in which a vehicle performs all driving tasks within a defined operating area without relying on a human fallback.
Karsan CEO Okan Baş framed the Atlanta deployment as a proving ground for autonomous transit in live operations. “The ATL Spoke project serves as a significant milestone in demonstrating how autonomous technologies create value in actual passenger transport operations,” he said. “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 solutions, 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,” he said.
Sign up for our weekly emails to stay up to date on the latest news!
