Like Atlanta Beltline Inc., Cobb County’s interest in autonomous vehicle transit is growing, and more funding is now in place to help realize those bigger ambitions. 

A planned shuttle system near Truist Park and The Battery Atlanta now called the Cumberland Autonomous Mobility Network, or CAM, has been awarded more than $6.6 million in federal grant funding, officials announced today. 

A key difference from earlier plans—the Cumberland Sweep proposal, as you might recall, unveiled in 2021—is that the CAM Network would work in concert with the county’s existing public transit system, CobbLinc. It will also share roadways with existing vehicle traffic, according to revised plans.  

The funding comes as part of a Federal Transit Administration Low or No Emission Vehicle Program, or LONO. Cobb County’s CAM Network is one of the first U.S. autonomous shuttle programs to receive a LONO grant this cycle, underlining its potential impact on autonomous mobility in the suburb northwest of Atlanta, according to project backers. 

A 2021 rendering showing a section of the three-mile "Cumberland Sweep" multimodal trail proposal near Cumberland Mall. Courtesy of Cumberland CID/2021

Alongside Cumberland CID officials, Cobb County Chairwoman Lisa Cupid is scheduled to lead a Friday morning press conference on the Interstate 285 pedestrian bridge detailing how the federal cash will bolster plans for the new autonomous system, which aims to better connect people to Cumberland employment centers and numerous destinations. 

Representatives with Beep—an Orlando-based autonomous vehicle builder—are also scheduled to attend. 

In Atlanta, Beep is planning to launch its first autonomous-vehicle pilot project in partnership with the Beltline next year. That will run in shared traffic lanes for about two miles in Southwest Atlanta, linking colleges at Atlanta University Center to MARTA’s West End station, and then down to the Lee + White entertainment and office district at the Beltline. 

In Cobb County, officials said today the driverless shuttles will roll out across Cumberland as part of CobbLinc in 2027. 

An overview of key Cumberland Community Improvement District attractions. Courtesy of Cumberland CID

Like its predecessor concept the Cumberland Sweep, the service is designed to better connect several regional destinations, providing “seamless first-and last-mile access for residents, workers, and visitors,” per today’s announcement. Those destinations include: The Braves’ Truist Park and The Battery Atlanta; the Cobb Convention Center; the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre; Cumberland Mall, and the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. 

The Sweep, originally envisioned by Cumberland CID officials in 2017, called for a three-mile loop of designated, multimodal pathways for smaller autonomous vehicles around the district. A pilot shuttle program called the “Hopper” launched in 2023 and chalked up positive ratings from thousands of riders, per CID leaders.

A county spokesperson told the AJC the expanded CAM Network will use different vehicles than the eight-person shuttles deployed as part of the Hopper program—and those vehicles are now planned to operate in mixed traffic on current public roads. 

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Silver Comet Connector win 

In other alternative transportation news this week, another section of the Silver Comet Connector trail—a growing, long-planned link between Cobb County and the Atlanta Beltline—has made its official debut. 

The .4-mile SCC section in question is called the MacArthur Boulved NW Segment. The concrete pathway travels along MacArthur Boulevard from Chattahoochee Avenue NW to the existing Whetstone Trail.

Project officials this week described the MacArthur segment as “a vital step toward realizing the larger vision of extending the Silver Comet Trail directly into Downtown Atlanta.”

Intown sections of the Silver Comet Connector trail as shown earlier this year. Courtesy of PATH Foundation/Upper Westside CID

Attending the ribbon-cutting Wednesday were Dustin Hillis, Atlanta City Council District 9 member; Mary Hays, PATH Foundation project manager; Solomon Caviness, Atlanta Department of Transportation commissioner; and Justin Cutler, Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation commissioner. 

The first new segment of SCC in Atlanta opened earlier this year. That’s the .7-mile Woodall Rail Trail, which branches off the Beltline’s Westside Trail, wends through some woods, and ends at The Works mixed-use district. Another short SCC trail section at the doorstep of the finished, nearly 600-apartment BRYKS Upper Westside development is also now open. 

Also under construction are the final two missing links of the SCC project, called Segments 2 and 3. 

Find visual SCC explainers over here. 

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