Glydways looks to ‘redefine mass transit’ with autonomous electric vehicles on dedicated guideways [Video]

A company called Glydways is marking two significant milestones in bringing its Automated Transit Network (ATN) of autonomous vehicles to the masses. Glydways has announced new public transit projects in the US and the United Arab Emirates, where it plans to introduce its unique form of guided autonomy.

While 2026 may be the first time you’re hearing of Glydways and its autonomous, on-demand transit network, the company has been working toward its recent milestones for the last decade. In that time, Glyways has developed scalable systems it says are “cost-effective to build and quick to deploy,” offering communities a reimagined form of public mass transit that is more sustainable and meets the needs of the modern-day commuter.

Glydway’s founder and CEO, Mark Seeger, experienced the issue of broken and inefficient public transit systems first-hand, whether it was running too slow, costing too much, or being absent altogether. Per the company website:

Whether it was missing work, school, or medical appointments, the consequences of inadequate mobility were real. And everywhere. Mark saw that access to opportunity—jobs, education, healthcare, connection—starts with access to mobility. And yet, out of nearly 10,000 cities around the world, only 201 can afford to build traditional mass transit. That’s not just a failure of infrastructure. It’s a failure of equity.

The solution Seeger came up with is as interesting as it is novel. Glydways has introduced a “disaggregated system” consisting of compact, electric, and fully autonomous vehicles that offer riders private, on-demand transit, according to the company, at a price comparable to a bus ticket.

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No transfers, no shared rides with strangers, and best of all, no delays from traffic. Instead, Glydway’s vehicles operate on narrow, dedicated routes it calls “guideways” – similar to rail, but 90% cheaper. Each vehicle has a capacity of 1 to 6 passengers and an operating speed of up to 31 mph (50 km/h). The vehicles are equipped with 20 high-resolution LiDAR sensors, advanced radar systems, and high-definition cameras.

If that sounds too good to be true, it sort of is… at least so far. As you’ll see on the Glydways website and in the video below, much of the content shows that this new ATN is still just renderings (spare me your groans). The good news is we were able to acquire some real-world images of the autonomous vehicle (there’s one below for you). Better yet, Glydways is rolling out a pilot network of autonomous mass transit right here in the US of A.

Earlier this week, Glydways officially broke ground in South Metro Atlanta, where a new Automated Transit Network Demonstration Pilot will be located. When complete, the Atlanta Demonstration Pilot will also be Glydways’ first fully-autonomous, on-demand transit system in operation… at least publicly.

The project was announced at the South Metro Development Outlook Conference (SMDO26) in collaboration with ATL Airport Community Improvement Districts (AACIDs) and will be jointly developed with ACS Infra. The pilot network of autonomous electric transit vehicles will connect the ATL SkyTrain at the Georgia International Convention Center to the Gateway Center Arena along a dedicated 0.5-mile guideway (see map above).

When complete, riders in South Metro Atlanta will gain access to free, on-demand, autonomous rides along the pilot route, available 24/7. Glydways’ Chief Commercial Officer, Chris Riley, spoke about the pilot line and the groundwork it represents for future public transit projects around the world:

Congestion is a global problem, and cities everywhere are searching for solutions that are scalable, sustainable, and deliver a better service for their communities. What begins in South Metro Atlanta is designed for the world. This pilot demonstrates how an innovative new form of public transit can expand access, improve reliability, and help cities move more people without expanding roads or relying on legacy systems.

Per Glydways, the Demonstration Pilot is expected to begin free public rides in Atlanta in December of this year. The company’s most recent update closely follows news of an additional autonomous transit network agreement that will see Glydways operating in Dubai.

Per the release, Glydways signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to launch an ATN in the city’s Bluewaters area. Under the agreement, Glydways and RTA intend to expand the technology to four transit corridors that link together all of Dubai’s multimodal public transit options. 

It’s still early for Glydways, but its recent updates show the autonomous transit network is… on the right track… or perhaps the right guideway? This is a company to keep an eye on. We will report back once the Atlanta pilot project is complete. In the meantime, here’s a video rendering of what one of Glydways’ guideways could one day look like: