One of the building blocks of any community is the network and infrastructure that enable safe and easy mobility within an area. Residents, workers, and guests need to conveniently get to their desired destination, whether driving themselves, riding their bikes, or taking an alternative means of transportation.
Increasingly, towns and cities are exploring ways to use technology to connect their transportation systems and create a fully integrated infrastructure that supports the movement of people getting from place to place quicker, safer, and more efficiently.
In Lake Nona, Beep provides connectivity throughout the planned community to key destinations, and Berman is right alongside Beep to help them create a positive experience for riders.
We wanted to take a moment and share with you what our experience is like to work with such a transformational company and how Beep is evolving alternative autonomous mobility, one community at a time.
An Autonomous Mobility Solution that Is Good for the Community... and the Environment
Beep is an autonomous Mobility as a Service (M-a-a-S) provider that delivers full turnkey, autonomous clean energy transportation solutions to public and private communities across the United States.
As an alternative mobility solution, Beep’s autonomous technology is designed to complement existing transportation infrastructure and provide people with a convenient service for short trips within a defined area.
The autonomous mobility solutions company is headquartered in Lake Nona and recently opened its new 10,000 square-foot facility, which hosts the Beep Command Center and an Innovation Lab where its engineers will design and develop the future of autonomous technology.
From the Lab to the Road
Beep started its operations in Lake Nona in September 2019 after significant route planning and coordination with partners to ensure its alternative mobility solution was viable, reliable, and sustainable.
- Its engineers and transportation specialists navigated the regulatory framework and matched it with the technical requirements of the autonomous shuttles.
- The team also provides fully managed service operations, oversight, and maintenance of the shuttles and any necessary software to support the entire system.
- Still, Beep worked hard to ensure those in the community understood how the autonomous shuttles worked and the significant benefits they could provide to the community, from reducing personal vehicle dependency to improving productivity and socializing among team members, residents, and guests.
As a Living Lab that welcomes and thrives on innovation, Lake Nona was a perfect fit for Beep to implement its autonomous mobility solutions in the community. The proof is in the numbers:
- 31,000+ riders since starting operations in Lake Nona in September 2019
- The equivalent of eliminating 17,500 vehicle trips on the road
- Lake Nona Autonomous Network connects 10 key destinations in the community
- Beep manages and operates 8 shuttles in the community
How Does Berman Help Beep Transport Riders throughout Lake Nona?
Beep is our neighbor in Lake Nona, so we had a sneak peek of what Beep would bring to the community. Beep creates a one-of-a-kind experience for riders from the second they hop into the shuttle and are greeted by a shuttle specialist who can explain how the autonomous technology works and answer any questions they may have. They then buckle up and engage in conversations with their co-riders as they make the short trip to their destination.
Berman helps create a positive experience by providing the level of cleanliness riders have come to expect, especially after the shuttle services reopened after the COVID-19 shutdown. We use the same practices to sanitize Beep’s shuttles and offices that are used to sanitize the hospitals in Lake Nona, ensuring riders’ health and peace of mind. As Beep takes a safety-first approach as well, our partnership has been a natural fit since the very beginning.
In addition to conducting a full wipe down of the shuttles every day, Berman specializes in the following to support Beep:
- Hand wash shuttles nightly, paying close attention to the sensor technology throughout the shuttles
- Take care of pathways and trim overgrown vegetation to maintain a preferable environment for Beep to operate
- Construct any required fencing and manage some pre-construction efforts
- Create a safe environment for Beep to store its shuttles
- Respond to and resolve any emergency sanitation requests or landscaping requests
- Provide a constant supply of hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes that the on-board shuttle specialists can use to wipe down high touch points during their shift
We are proud to call Beep our partner in Lake Nona because Beep is community-focused and dedicated to providing mobility solutions that create a positive impact. As more municipalities, universities, healthcare campuses, and corporate parks learn about the innovations Beep is developing within transportation, we expect to see many more Beep shuttles — not only in Lake Nona but all across the country.
