New Jersey DOT gives Trenton $5 million for autonomous vehicles

A $5 million state grant will help Trenton deploy 100 autonomous vehicles to provide on-demand automated transportation for the Capital City’s 90,000 residents.

The money is part of the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Local Transportation Project Fund Grant. It will go to the Trenton Mobility & Opportunity: Vehicles Equity System (MOVES) Project, which the Governor’s Office, the NJ Department of Transportation, the city of Trenton and Princeton University are developing.

“Trenton MOVES is about utilizing innovation to sustainably improve the quality of life for a mobility-constrained population,” NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said in an announcement. “This is about equity and access to opportunity for everyone in Trenton.”

Proponents say a 2019 American Community Survey revealed 70% of Trenton’s households have either one car or no car, and the vehicles will offer a low-cost, environmentally-friendly transportation option to cover Trenton’s roughly eight square miles. According to documents, each vehicle could carry four to eight people, and riders could use their smartphone to hail a ride.

“This innovative project has the potential to turn one of Trenton’s greatest weaknesses into one of its biggest strengths,” Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora said in an announcement.

Companies interested in the project have until Feb. 25 to participate in NJDOT’s Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI).