Forget waiting for a shuttle.
A California tech company wants to bring a futuristic fleet of self-driving cars to West Palm Beach, whisking travelers between downtown and the airport on a dedicated, partly elevated roadway in what could become one of America’s first autonomous transit corridors.
Glydways has pitched Palm Beach County on a four- to five-mile “airport connector” linking downtown with what will soon be renamed Donald J. Trump International Airport. If county leaders give the green light to study the proposal on July 7, the company says the system could be carrying passengers within five years.
Instead of trains stopping at every station, riders would summon a private autonomous vehicle that travels directly to their destination on its own guideway, bypassing traffic entirely.
Planned stops include the Palm Beach County Convention Center, CityPlace, the Brightline station, the county courthouse, the NORA District and the Historic Northwest neighborhood.
Glydways argues its lightweight guideways cost far less to build than traditional rail, making the project more attractive for public-private partnerships while easing congestion in one of South Florida’s fastest-growing urban centers.
“The West Palm Beach Airport Connector will create the county’s first direct, on-demand transit connection between its two largest public assets,” the company said in its proposal.
Brian Gettinger, Glydways’ senior vice president for growth in the Americas, said the short distance between downtown and the airport makes West Palm Beach an ideal test bed for autonomous transportation.
The company is already building similar airport projects in Atlanta and San Jose, California.
For now, the proposal remains in its earliest stage. County commissioners will decide July 7 whether staff should formally explore the idea, potentially putting Palm Beach County on the fast track to becoming a showcase for next-generation driverless transit.
