Monheim am Rhein: The first Autonomous Shuttle Fleet on Public Roads in Germany

On 26 February 2020, the Bahnen der Stadt Monheim GmbH (BSM), a know public transport provider in the west of Germany, was granted the concession for a minibus line starting from the bus station to the old town center, which runs exclusively on public roads. Soon it became the first public transport provider in Germany to deploy and operate a fleet of driverless, autonomous Shuttles on public roads. Since early 2020, five EZ10 autonomous shuttles are being used in Monheim am Rhein to extend the public transport to the historic old town.

The vehicles can accommodate up to 11 passengers and is still being accompanied by a so called "Safety Operator". The operator on board is still necessary by German law. In Monheim am Rhein, the buses are seamlessly integrated into the existing public transport network and run from 7am to 11pm, 7 days a week.

EasyMile offers a fully driverless shuttle service for certain sites, demonstrating the maturity of our technology for local mobility needs.

While most “driverless” operations include 1 or 2 “operators” on board the vehicle, this was the first deployment in the world to remove this. Instead, a control room is manned by a fully trained supervisor who monitors the autonomous vehicle at all times and ensures communication with passengers.

Developing a local eco-system for autonomous vehicles and preparing for larger-scale deployment 

As a regional leader in the high-tech research field, KAUST is bringing its talents to the autonomous vehicle experience in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The collaboration is much wider than just a transportation service for the community, the research and development element of the project will help the autonomous vehicle industry move faster towards the future. The Application Programming Interface (API) integration and on-demand service are also a fundamental part of the deal as it paves the road towards a smarter transportation service.
 

The NUSmart Shuttle piloted at the National University of Singapore

The NUSmart Shuttle began a passenger service trial at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Kent Ridge campus after 1.5 months of road testing. This trial is part of a year-long study aimed at gauging the commercial viability of providing safe, autonomous, shuttle bus services.

The NUSmart Shuttle, an EasyMile EZ10 autonomous vehicle, runs entirely on electricity and carries up to 12 people. It is operating from Monday to Friday, at 20-minute intervals, between 10.20 - 11.20 am as well as between 2.20 - 3.20 pm during the initial phase of the trial. The operating hours will be extended progressively. Each 1.6 km trip starts from the innovation 4.0 (i4.0) building and the shuttle will travel between Heng Mui Keng Terrace and Business Link, making stops opposite the Hon Sui Sen Memorial Library and BIZ 2 building. The trial service is free for all users. During the initial phase, the shuttle will not operate when it rains to enable the vehicle to calibrate its internal systems. A wet weather service may be available at a later stage.
 

Moving toward the goal of compaction

Indoor-outdoor automation is bettering the movement of parts at PSA’s Sochaux plant. The spaces are large and they need to move goods from point A to B. PSA is looking to this type of automation to make their flows more economical, as well as more strategic. The goal of the Sochaux 2022 plan is to go from two lines of production to one, that will go a bit faster, producing 24/7. By reducing the surface area used, costs are also reduced. These are complex factories that are being streamlined with the use of TractEasy.

Utah’s government stakeholders and community embrace connected and autonomous vehicles

Utah Department of Transportation’s (UDOT) strategic plan for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) includes an effort to demonstrate the operational characteristics of an autonomous, electric shuttle. Working with EasyMile, UDOT and the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) are using the EZ10 at 10 locations over 12 months around Salt Lake City. Different use cases and customer types are included, namely a business park, university campus, hospital, mall, etc.

The UTA is exploring ways to enhance their transport services and customer experience using the EZ10 as a first-last mile connection and community service solution. Utah’s local leaders are eager to experience CAV technology so they can better prepare their communities and also their governance of CAVs while building public awareness and understanding.

Taking on challenges to promote new services through technology

Airports like Narita International all share a number of pain points:

• The cost of labor is high
• There are driver shortages
• Business can be low-margin

Plus, they need to keep up with the latest technology.

Air transport players need to improve cargo and baggage handling performance at airport hubs. By automating these flows, they can also better focus on decision-making and other actions, saving time and increasing efficiency across the board.

Around 5,000 luggage tractors are sold to airports per year worldwide, with the biggest airports making hundreds of purchases. Electrification is ongoing in this segment and is growing rapidly at about 15% per year. Considering global growth in air traffic and the new airports and terminals being built in the next 10 to 20 years, the TractEasy is key for this market.

Introducing autonomy to the airport’s innovation group and general public

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is using this pilot as an opportunity to learn about driverless technology and understand potential additional applications throughout the airport. Future opportunities at DFW include additional passenger transport locations in addition to baggage transport airside and/or landside. 

Retirement village required a flexible mobility solution 

The BusBot Project is a collaboration operated in partnership with Busways, Transport for NSW, Coffs Harbour City Council, EasyMile, Via, and Papercast, providing a door-to-door, driverless, on-demand service to the residents of the Marian Grove retirement village. Elderly residents are able to use a smartphone or a landline to order a vehicle to pick them up and connect them to key areas. This gives residents their independence, enables social inclusion, and a better lifestyle. The integration of autonomous and on-demand technology in a live service, as well as better serving an older population through new mobility solutions, are key benefits of this project.

Driverless mobility service for community and spa guests 

EasyMile’s partner in Germany, ioki, a subsidiary company of Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) has been operating the first autonomous shuttle driving on public roads in the European country since October 2017. For their project in Bad Birnbach, EasyMile and ioki work closely together with the regional bus company (Regionalbus Ostbayern (RBO), the district of Rottal-Inn, TÜV Süd, and the local community.

Cars are traditionally the main way people get around in rural areas, but it is important to offer those living outside of towns and cities an alternative that is convenient, as well as energy and cost-efficient.  Autonomous shuttles are the perfect innovative public transport solution in such rural areas. 

As mobility is one of the major challenges in these environments, driverless technology can respond by overcoming the first-last mile issues it presents. As a rural but also thermal town, Bad Birnbach sees a lot of visitors arriving by train and so the need for mobility is particularly important.