The Australian city of Newcastle has launched an autonomous shuttle trial, which is being funded through a A$5m (£2.7m) grant from the federal government’s Smart Cities and Suburbs Programme.
Supplied by Navya, the driverless shuttle is operated by Keolis Dower, the Australian subsidiary of multi-modal transport operator Keolis.
The trial will operate on weekdays between 10am and 2pm, providing a connection for locals to go to points of interest and connect to the public transport network.
David Franks, CEO, Keolis Downer, said: “It is very exciting to see the shuttle operating on road alongside other traffic and we are delighted to partner with the City of Newcastle to gather more insights on this technology. We encourage everyone to take a ride and share their feedback.
“When the shuttle was out in November last year during the Newcastle 500 [annual motor racing event for Supercars], we received over 100 responses across the weekend.”
“Over 90% of participants opinion of driverless shuttle improved after enjoying a ride.”
During the trial a chaperone will be on board to monitor the environment, the vehicle performance and provide information to passengers.
The driverless shuttle has reportedly undergone rigorous safety planning and testing to operate on public roads.
It shuttle will operate along Wharf Road between the Watt Street and Nobbys Beach roundabouts at around 20km/h (12.5mph).
Keolis Downer has been operating driverless shuttles since 2016 in Lyon, France, where they are now an integral part of the multimodal network.
“We are keen to accelerate the deployment of this technology in Australia, and better understand the role autonomous shuttles can play in people’s door to door journeys,” said Franks.
Measures will be in place throughout the trial to limit the spread of coronavirus and ensure the safety of customers, including additional cleaning across the day, automatic doors and a maximum of three customers onboard the 11-seater vehicle.
Read more from CiTTi
https://www.cittimagazine.co.uk/autonomous-shuttles-commence-real-world-testing-in-five-european-cities/
https://www.cittimagazine.co.uk/the-road-to-real-world-deployment-of-autonomous-vehicles/
https://www.cittimagazine.co.uk/autonomous-shuttles-transport-coronavirus-tests-in-us-first/
