Atlanta, GA
Self-driving pods pilot program to arrive at Atlanta’s airport
Are self-driving pods the future for ATL Airport employees?
Atlanta is entertaining the idea of mini driverless pods to get airport employees to and from work and cut down on the daily traffic around College Park and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
ATLANTA – More than 150,000 people work within a six-mile radius of the world’s busiest airport, but for some of them, transportation to and from work can be difficult. It is so bad. In fact, a recent survey found Atlanta airport employees commute nearly twice as long as others in the metro Atlanta area.
Officials are trying to solve that by using autonomous vehicles.
The company “Glydways” has agreed to bring their sleek and gray self-driving pods to the Peach State.
“Personal rapid transit, as well as micro transit and autonomous shuttles, we believe is the future of public transportation,” said Gerald McDowell, executive director of the ATL Airport CID.
The Glydways autonomous, on-demand vehicles will make a few stops around the airport and the Georgia International Convention Center complex in College Park. (Supplied)
When you hear personal rapid transit, think small. The Glydways autonomous pods will carry just four people. The pilot is estimated to cost about $20 million and feature a few stops around the Georgia International Convention Center complex in College Park.
The project is part of an effort to look at more cost-effective transportation options beyond buses and trains when they are not in service.
“We’re hoping in the next two to four years we will be able to make the determination if these innovative mobility solutions will be viable for our communities to offer in the future,” McDowell said.
The pods will operate in dedicated lanes. Glydways says it arrives on-demand, quickly, and goes about 30 mph.
“This region has been starved of better access for far too long, and we believe we can solve many decades of past due accessibility challenges,” said Eliot Temple, a vice president at Glydways.
If the pilot goes well, they hope to add stops around the entire airport, like Delta’s parking lots, the College Park MARTA Station and more.
The Glydways autonomous, on-demand vehicles will make a few stops around the airport and the Georgia International Convention Center complex in College Park.
“By having a thirteen-to-twenty-mile regional connector system surrounding the world’s busiest airport, we can bring a lot of opportunities here locally that they haven’t seen before,” Temple said.
Glydways says its system is designed to handle 10,000 people an hour.
The pilot is set to be operational by late 2026 and is expected to run for two years.
The Georgia Department of Transportation announced that a major weekend construction project, set to fully shut down two miles of I-285, has been postponed due to inclement weather. Atlantans are relieved, with many looking forward to more freedom to travel this Mothers’ Day weekend. Kim Leoffler has the story.
ATLANTA – An Atlanta flight attendant and mother of eight is among 17,000 Spirit Airlines workers struggling to find a new “destination” after the carrier suddenly shut down.
Spirit Airlines Atlanta impact
What we know:
Spirit Airlines ended all operations on Saturday, grounding its entire fleet and ending employment for its 17,000-person workforce. Flight attendants and customers were stranded across the country, often forced to pay for their own travel home after the discount carrier ceased operations.
Kamille Carter, an Atlanta-based flight attendant of five years, said she received the termination email from the CEO at 3 a.m., despite earlier assurances from union representatives that the company was stable. The company immediately cut healthcare benefits and stopped payments for sick leave and vacation time for all staff members.
Unpaid wages and benefits
What we don’t know:
It is unclear if Carter and her fellow employees will ever receive their final paychecks or if there is any legal recourse for the lost benefits. The company has not specified if any transition assistance will be provided to workers, some of whom had been with the airline since it launched in 1994.
Employee reaction in Georgia
What they’re saying:
“This is a death because you have to mourn, you have to grieve, it’s a process,” Carter said of the sudden job loss. Despite the financial strain of supporting eight children, Carter is looking toward her passion for cooking as a potential new career. She noted that while being uncomfortable is difficult, it can “push you to your destiny.”
Finding help in Atlanta
What you can do:
Community members looking to support Carter and other local workers affected by the shutdown can find more information on the FOX 5 Atlanta website. The station is collecting resources for those navigating the sudden loss of income and healthcare.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from an interview conducted by FOX 5 reporter Eric Perry, who spoke directly with former flight attendant Kamille Carter in Atlanta. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting was also used.
The search for missing 16-year-old Benjamin Braithwaite is over. Atlanta police announced just before midnight Thursday that he had been located, more than a week after he vanished from his Regency Trace home.
The department shared the update on social media but did not release additional details about where he was found or the circumstances surrounding his recovery.
Braithwaite had been missing since the night of April 27, when he was last seen around 9 p.m. at his home in Atlanta. His family said they had no contact with him during the entire time he was gone.
The disappearance of the KIPP Atlanta Collegiate High School sophomore and basketball team member had galvanized the Atlanta community. His family, teammates, Atlanta police officers and neighbors gathered at the school last week to raise awareness about his disappearance. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where his mother works, joined the search effort — asking the public to watch for him at MARTA stops and fast food restaurants.
A $10,000 reward had been offered for credible information leading to his safe return.
“Even small details matter. Your awareness could make the difference,” the airport wrote in an Instagram post earlier this week.
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