Transdev trials autonomous school shuttle in Florida

Public transport operator Transdev is to launch a driverless shuttle for school children in Florida. The autonomous service will run this autumn at Babcock Neighbourhood School in the new town of Babcock Ranch, north-east of Fort Myers. The 12-person Easy Mile Ez10 Gen 11 shuttle will operate at 12mph and brake automatically when it detects obstacles or manoeuvre around them safely. A ‘safety attendant’ will remain on board. Transdev has confirmed it will test the shuttle with students and families on t
September 6, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Public transport operator 8574 Transdev is to launch a driverless shuttle for school children in Florida.


The autonomous service will run this autumn at 8412 Babcock Neighbourhood School in the new town of Babcock Ranch, north-east of Fort Myers.

The 12-person Easy Mile Ez10 Gen 11 shuttle will operate at 12mph and brake automatically when it detects obstacles or manoeuvre around them safely. A ‘safety attendant’ will remain on board.

Transdev has confirmed it will test the shuttle with students and families on the run-up to the pilot.

Dick Alexander, executive vice president of mobility innovation at Transdev, says the service will offer an important mobility option for children.

The company intends to eventually offer a service which allows students and parents to book on-demand and door-to-door shuttles based on individual needs.

Babcock Ranch is a newly-built solar-powered community, which will eventually include 19,500 homes and six million square feet of commercial space.

The partnership has been offering an autonomous shuttle service since the town opened in January to provide an alternative to travelling by cars.

Related Content

  • September 27, 2021
    CCAM innovation at ITS World Congress 2021
    We live in an era of increasingly cooperative, connected and automated mobility (CCAM) but there’s still a huge way to go - visitors to ITS World Congress in Hamburg will be able to see projects, innovations and real-life solutions showcased in the city
    Read More
  • August 20, 2019
    Wayne State University to open advanced mobility centre
    Wayne State University in Michigan is to open a centre for advanced mobility to offer more degrees and certificates in autonomous driving, smart infrastructure and electrification. Farshad Fotouhi, dean of the Wayne State College of Engineering and Computer Science professor, says: “The Center for Advanced Mobility will be the epicenter for academic and start-up activity in the mobility sector for students, researchers, and global corporate partners in Detroit.” The Center for Advanced Mobility will utili
    Read More
  • April 20, 2018
    2getthere enters partnership to trial AVs at NTU smart campus
    2getthere’s Silent Roadstar autonomous vehicles (AVs) will run on the Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU’s) Smart Campus by 2019 as part of a partnership which also includes SMRT Services. The project intends to develop transport that will benefit the NTU community and society. Silent Roadstar uses magnetic pellets on the road for autonomous navigation and can travel in both directions. It runs at 40km per hour and can carry 24 passengers. These Group Rapid Transits (GRTs) will be tested in a few
    Read More
  • November 26, 2020
    Ford unveils Detroit 'walkable mobility' district
    Corktown neighbourhood plan is part of wider regeneration including C/AV corridor 
    Read More

Highlighted Content