AVs for seniors from Via in New South Wales

Autonomous vehicle (AV) developers seem to targeting ‘closed’ communities such as retirement complexes or universities and Via is also joining this trend. The company has launched a free AV service called BusBot for a retirement community in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. In partnership with local bus operator Busways, Transport for NSW and EasyMile, BusBot is operating in the Marian Grove Retirement Village in Toormina, a suburb of Coffs Harbour. Via says its technology allows the vehicle
July 18, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

Autonomous vehicle (AV) developers seem to targeting ‘closed’ communities such as retirement complexes or universities and Via is also joining this trend.

The company has launched a free AV service called BusBot for a retirement community in New South Wales (NSW), Australia.

In partnership with local bus operator Busways, Transport for NSW and 8246 EasyMile, BusBot is operating in the Marian Grove Retirement Village in Toormina, a suburb of Coffs Harbour.

Via says its technology allows the vehicle to navigate to virtual bus stops, allowing passengers to share trips without lengthy detours.

Daniel Ramot, co-founder of Via, says AVs need to be shared by multiple people to reach their full potential.

“Via’s sophisticated systems are able to power, in real time, the movement of millions of connected autonomous shuttles and their passengers,” Ramot adds.

Each vehicle can carry up to 15 people and travel at around 10km/h. Users can access the service from the BusBot app.

Last month, Via launched an on-demand %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external shared transit system false https://www.itsinternational.com/categories/utc/news/via-offers-on-demand-shared-transit-for-massachusetts-seniors/ false false%> for people over the age of 60 in the City of Newton, Massachusetts.

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Here Technologies’ platform helps Motion Auto deliver insurance policies
    December 19, 2018
    Here Technologies’ location platform is being used by Motion Auto to deliver user-based insurance policies to its customers. The platform will provide the insurer with information on speed limits and rules of the road as well as measurements of the road surface condition and variable data such as traffic conditions. Daniel Weisman, co-founder of Motion Auto, says Here will help the company understand the behaviour of customers and their relationships to routes, road conditions and traffic. Here’s ma
    Read More
  • First 10km of UAE hyperloop ‘ready in 2020’
    January 29, 2019
    The project billed as the world’s first commercial hyperloop system is on course to open its first 10km section next year in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). In an interview Bibop Gresta, chairman of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, told Emirates News Agency that the average cost would be $20-40m per km. Despite the cost, he is confident that the scheme – which will eventually run for 150km between Abu Dhabi and Dubai – will pay for itself in “eight to 15 years”. “It will be paying for itself
    Read More
  • BYD delivers electric buses in Nepal
    October 26, 2018
    BYD has delivered five electric C6 buses to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation in Kathmandu to help improve air quality in Nepal. The buses will operate in Lumbini, a Buddhist pilgrimage and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) world heritage site. This deployment is part of a wider initiative from the Nepalese government to replace 1,000 taxis in Kathmandu Valley, as well as school buses, with electric vehicles. Last month, BYD also delivered 12
    Read More
  • Stage Intelligence partners with Smovengo on Paris bike-share
    February 25, 2019
    Artificial intelligence (AI) company Stage Intelligence has linked up with a consortium in a bid to make a Paris bike-share scheme more efficient. Stage is partnering with Smovengo – a grouping which consists of Smoove, Moventia, Mobivia and Park Indigo - to deploy its Bico AI optimisation platform across Smovengo’s Vélib bike-share system in the French capital. The company says its system allows users to collect, manage and visualise data and turn it into actionable insights; it has already been used in
    Read More

Highlighted Content