Europe’s first driverless bus trial begins

Two automated driverless vehicles have begun transporting passengers in Sardinia as part of tests co-funded by the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme. The demonstrations are led by the City Mobil 2 project, which is testing automated vehicles in real-life urban environments. The two driverless buses, which can carry up to 12 passengers each, are being piloted on a busy pedestrianised seafront promenade in Oristano. The route is about 1.3 km long and has seven stops. The buses are guided by a differenti
August 15, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

Two automated driverless vehicles have begun transporting passengers in Sardinia as part of tests co-funded by the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme.

The demonstrations are led by the City Mobil 2 project, which is testing automated vehicles in real-life urban environments. The two driverless buses, which can carry up to 12 passengers each, are being piloted on a busy pedestrianised seafront promenade in Oristano. The route is about 1.3 km long and has seven stops.

The buses are guided by a differential global positioning system (DGPS) and have three levels of safety: two laser scanners on the front that detect obstacles within 30 metres; ultra-sound detectors on the front and the sides that recognise obstacles even if not in the bus’s direct trajectory; and a mechanical device that forces a stop in an emergency.

The demo, which finishes on 30 August, is organised in partnership with the Municipality of Oristano, the regional public transport operator ARST and transport planning consultancy company MLAb.

Location Based Systems Urban Traffic Control

Related Content

  • Emissions reductions targets to have major impact on transport
    October 28, 2015
    As bold moves aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions have been introduced in California, David Crawford looks at the ramifications for transportation. California Governor Jerry Brown’s recent dramatic raising of the bar on emissions reduction policy for the state has won him praise from Japan, Australia, Europe and the secretariat of the critical UN conference on climate change being held in Paris in November/December 2015. His April 2015 executive order aimed at bringing emissions to 40% below 1990 lev
    Read More
  • Effortless mobility for everyone
    September 10, 2021
    To improve the way we move people around, a lot of stakeholders are going to need to start cooperating and aligning, suggests Edwin van den Belt, software architect at Dat.mobility
    Read More
  • Urban mobility and demand management - the Mobility Credits Model
    January 26, 2012
    Vito Marcolongo and Marco Troglia, Quaeryon srl describe the Mobility Credits Model, which is intended to combine inducements and fairness to improve mobility while reducing its more negative economic and environmental effects
    Read More
  • Sustainable mobility model
    January 27, 2012
    It is only in the last couple of years that the viability of all-electric vehicles for day to day transport has begun to be recognised. Back in 2000, that was not the case, certainly in Italy, where a few pilot projects involving EVs were carried out with negative results. It is against this background, that the innovative Reggio Emilia eco-rental experience must be assessed.
    Read More

Highlighted Content