FLEX electric driverless shuttle operating in Australia

A driverless public electric shuttle is operating around South Australia’s Tonsley Innovation District as part of a trial set to include public roads. The five-year project, valued at AU$4m (£2.2m), is intended to build public acceptance of the technology. Initially, the Navya Arma Flinders Express (FLEX) shuttle will offer first mile-last mile services between the Clovelly Park train station and Tonsley main assembly building, then connections to bus stops on the main South Road and businesses within th
June 25, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
A driverless public electric shuttle is operating around South Australia’s Tonsley Innovation District as part of a trial set to include public roads. The five-year project, valued at AU$4m (£2.2m), is intended to build public acceptance of the technology.


Initially, the 8379 Navya Arma Flinders Express (FLEX) shuttle will offer first mile-last mile services between the Clovelly Park train station and Tonsley main assembly building, then connections to bus stops on the main South Road and businesses within the Tonsley precinct.

Commuters arriving at Tonsley by bus or train can book a journey on Flinders %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external website false https://www.flinders.edu.au/flex-bus false false%>.

The intention is to extend FLEX within a year to include the Flinders Medical Centre and Flinders University’s Bedford Park campus and then along main arterial roads around the entire Bedford Park precinct.

The shuttle can carry up to 15 passengers at 30km per hour. An operator will be on board to provide users with information on the technology and ensure their safety.

The project is part of an agreement with Flinders University and the RAA and Department of Planning. Other partners include 6667 Cohda Wireless, Renewal SA, 8499 Sage Automation, Telstra, UPG, ZenEnergy and public transport operator 6546 Keolis Downer.

Related Content

  • December 14, 2018
    TfL describes reports of closer ties with Uber as ‘nonsense’
    Transport for London (TfL) has described claims that it is deepening its relationship with Uber as ‘nonsense’. Media reports suggested that London’s transit authority might be going to offer customers access to public transport services via the ride-hailing firm's app. The Financial Times reported that Uber is attempting to add TfL's data about tube and bus timetables into the app. But a spokesperson from TfL told ITS International that the only thing it is putting out is open data – and does no
    Read More
  • February 22, 2018
    Terrorists could use driverless cars to mount attacks, researchers warn
    UK Researchers in Oxford and Cambridge have echoed concerns raised by ITS International two years ago about terrorists who could use autonomous cars to carry out attacks – in a report by The Telegraph. The 26 experts including those from Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute, Cambridge’s Centre For the Study of Existential Risk and OpenAI warned that terrorists could exploit the risks in artificial intelligence (AI) to carry out driverless car crashes and cyber attacks. They added that AI is being rapid
    Read More
  • November 6, 2018
    Uber seeks to resume AV trials nearly eight months after Arizona fatality
    Uber wants to resume testing its self-driving cars on public roads nearly eight months after one of its autonomous vehicles (AV) killed a pedestrian in Arizona. The ride-hailing company has released a voluntary safety report to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which includes safety enhancements to help prevent crashes and fatalities. Uber says its AVs would include two mission specialists – employees who have completed advanced training courses in self-driving vehicle operations. The
    Read More
  • January 17, 2019
    Car2Go launches e-car rental service in central Paris
    Daimler subsidiary Car2go has made its electric car rental service available to Parisian users in a 77km square area within the city’s Périphérique motorway. Drivers are charged between €0.24 to €0.34 per minute depending on the location and time of the rental, and can charge the vehicles at around 1,100 charging stations in the French capital. The details flesh out Car2go’s announcement last year of plans to deploy 400 electric Smart EQ Fortwo vehicles in the city. The company intends to add more ve
    Read More

Highlighted Content