Skip to main content

Amey launches AV service while protecting kangaroos

Amey Australia is to operate a retrofitted autonomous pick-up truck to collect passengers living in the Australian town of Dubbo, 440km north-west of Sydney.
January 16, 2020 Read time: 1 min
© Martin Pelanek | Dreamstime.com


Amey is also investigating technology that may help detect and avoid kangaroos in a bid to protect drivers and wildlife on the country’s regional roads.

Collisions with animals make up 5% of all crashes on Australia’s roads, 90% of which involve kangaroos and wallabies.

Michael Holme, project manager at Amey Consulting, says: “The trial shows the practical outcomes that can be delivered for our communities in Australia when investment is made into smart infrastructure.”

Passengers will be able to request a trip via an on-demand app from March.

Related Content

  • Cognitive boss on AV safety: ‘It’s about human life, not just big money’
    March 3, 2020
    Olga Uskova, founder and president of Russia-based Cognitive Technologies, puts herself in the hotseat with ITS International to answer questions about advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), dominating the global market – and, of course, The Beatles…
  • New York pioneers online mobile real-time bus tracking
    May 22, 2012
    An unusual technology collaboration. David Crawford investigates Early in January 2012, the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) rolled out the first borough-wide implementation of its pioneering Bus Time online mobile real-time tracking service. The system allow commuters to track each bus on every route in real-time on the internet, via smartphones and by text messaging to a mobile phone. The MTA chose Staten Island for its first live launch due to it being the only one of the five Ne
  • Texas moves to prevent wrong-way drivers
    May 30, 2014
    A study has shown the extent and ramifications of wrong way driving and proposed cost-effective countermeasures. Wrong way driving collisions occur relatively infrequently but the results can be devastating. Statistics from the US National Transportation Safety Board, an independent, federal all-modes agency, reveal that wrong way (WW) driving, account for only about 3% of accidents on high-speed divided highways but are much more likely to result in fatal and serious injuries.
  • Cooperative infrastructure systems waiting for the go ahead
    February 3, 2012
    Despite much research and technological promise, progress towards cooperative infrastructure system deployment is still slow. Here, Robert Cone and John Miles take a considered look at how and when it might come about. From a systems engineering viewpoint it looks logical and inevitable that vehicles should be communicating between themselves and with the road infrastructure. But seen from a business viewpoint the case is not proven.