Austin loses out to Columbus in Smart City Challenge

Columbus, Ohio, is the winner of the $50 million U.S. Department of Transportation Smart City Challenge, according to multiple reports.

$40 million are to come from the government, and another $10 million from Paul Allen-backed Vulcan.

Austin was in the running, along with San Francisco, Portland, Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Denver. For Columbus, local businesses pledged to supplement the funds, bringing the total to about $90 million.

The Columbus pitch included a driverless vehicle test fleet as a means to create new jobs, a transit pass payment system and more transportation access for poor neighborhoods.

You can see the Columbus video pitch below:

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Omar L. Gallaga

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