(NAVLY)Driverless Public Transport Bus Service

Keolis, French service provider in public transportation, announced at the American

Public Transportation Association (APTA) Annual Meeting that it is joining forces with
Navya to launch Navly, the world’s first autonomous, driverless public transportation
service.

Fully electric and autonomous shuttles

are being added to the fleet of a public
transport operator in the French city of
Lyon to provide a sustainable last-mile
service.
The battery-powered shuttles, each capable of carrying 15
people, will start serving on a 1,350m circular route in the
Confuelce district, which is known for its sustainable buildings
amidst the massive redevelopment of a former industrial area.

Every resident or commuter will be able to use the service for

free, embarking from or disembarking at one of five regular
stops on the line.The area traversed by the vehicle is free of traffic lights, crosswalks and
intersections, and the journey takes about 13 minutes.
Although the shuttles, designed by French driverless car
specialist Navya, are completely autonomous and don’t even
have a steering wheel or pedals, a human operator will be on
board at all times.

During the trials, the shuttles will travel at 20km/h, following a

route marked with pictograms on the ground. The top speed
of the vehicles is actually 45km/h, but this will be capped
during the trial. The vehicles come equipped with advanced
navigation technologies including LiDAR, stereovision
camera, real-time kinematic GPS and odometry.

The shuttles will be integrated into the public transport

network of Lyon, which is the largest multimodal transport
network in France after Paris, with 1.7 million trips a day
made by its residents. The network’s operator Sytral already
manages fleets of buses and trams, an underground system,
as well as a bicycle-sharing scheme.

The French Agency for Environment and Energy

management is supporting the project together with the
French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and
Energy. The autonomous shuttle operations were approved
for use on public roads after proving compliance with public
safety requirements.
Tiny Toyota EVs (COMS and i-ROAD)
The City of Grenoble, France has launched a unique car-sharing service featuring ultra-
compact EVs and close integration into the local public transport system. For
Harmonious Mobility),which is patterned after a system that Toyota has been piloting in
Japan, opens October 1 for a three-year trial period.

Toyota is providing 70 vehicles, and a glance at them makes it clear that this is no
ordinary car-sharing service. The COMS is a tiny 4-wheel single-seater, and the i-ROAD
is a 3-wheel two-seater with “Active Lean technology” that’s designed to be as agile as a
scooter with the comfort of a car.

These tiny EVs (which aren’t sold in the States) seem to fit into Toyota’s overall strategy
– according to the company, “electric vehicles are especially suited to short-distance,
urban journeys, while hybrids, plug-in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles will prove more
practical for longer trips.”

Sodetrel will install and operate 27 charging stations with a total of 120 charging points
for the project. Each station is located close to a tram, bus or train stop. The vehicles and
charging stations are connected to the IT infrastructure of Grenoble’s transport
network, offering both route planning and online/mobile app reservations.

Users can pick up a vehicle and drop it off at any station, without having to return it to
the original pickup point. They will be charged only for the ride, which can cost as little
as 2 euros for a 15 minute drive.

Driving among traffic on the streets of Grenoble takes some forward thinking, too. It’s not just a
matter of remembering how to turn, but also remembering that the rear will kick out as you turn
the wheel, so watch those cars next to you. But it is extremely slim – hence the need for it to
lean, for stability in turns – and you can cut through traffic almost like a motorcycle, and then at
your destination you can park in half the space a normal car would need.

It’s also pretty fun to drive. Sure, the i-Road and COMS has a top speed of just 45 km/h, and a
range of 50 kilometres, but in i-Road it’s a thrill to lean the car over around a roundabout or
tight corners. The ride is less than comfortable, though, and potholes and rough roads are sent
directly through to the cabin