Skip to main content

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.

Related Content

  • Telegra shows new TopXview ITS platform
    March 20, 2018
    Telegra is unveiling a new generation ITS technologies which are designed to be understandable, safe and future-proof. The company says its new products address two major trends: rapidly evolving technologies for information sourcing, analysis and processing, and to counter growing traffic problems which cost societies worldwide billions of dollars every year.
  • ITS International launches MaaS Market Conference
    August 10, 2016
    ITS International is to host its first conference for national and city authorities interested in the benefits and implementation of Mobility as a Service (MaaS). There is no doubt that Mobility as a Service (MaaS) will be a major disrupter and the next mega-trend in urban and inter-urban transport. Why? Because it is more convenient and cheaper for the individual traveller.
  • London conference looks to MaaS future
    March 16, 2017
    Transportation experts from across the globe converge on London for ITS International’s MaaS-Market Conference on 22 and 23 March. Reading international transport and technology experts will gather at a major conference in London next month to debate a revolutionary overhaul of their transport systems by developing Mobility as a Service – or MaaS – operations.
  • Feig delivers 600 RFID readers to improve tolling in India
    December 7, 2018
    Feig Electronic has deployed more than 600 radio frequency identification (RFID) readers in India to allow drivers to pay for tolls without stopping at toll booths. The delivery is part of the National Highway Authority in India’s (NHAI) Fastag programme, an open road tolling method that relies on open ISO standard RFID technology. In a statement, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways says Fastag enabled vehicles can pass through dedicated lanes without stopping at toll plazas on national highways.