The first Ontario pilot project for an electric Low-Speed Automated Shuttle (LSAS) lauched this week in Ottawa. The project will test the vehicles to assess the effectiveness of automated shuttles operating in various conditions in a real-world transportation environment. Proponents believe LSAS have the potential to create cleaner and more efficient mobility for citizens in urban and rural areas.The shuttles are not meant to replace the LRT but are a potential 'first and last mile' transportation solution — a seamless and convenient connection to transportation hubs. In other words, they could be used to get Ottawa Hospital workers the 2kms from the LRT station on Carling Avenue to the hospital campus.
The shuttles began running at 15KM/hour on a 1.5-kilometre route through the Tunney's Pasture campus on November 3 and will continue running until November 13.
A LSAS is a small electric self-driving passenger vehicle that can fit up to six people (seated). The maximum speed of these vehicles is typically 25km/hr (or less). For test purposes, a safety operator is onboard to take full control of the shuttle if required at any time. The vehicles are travelling along a programmed route and utilizing sensors and software to detect their surroundings, guide travel and avoid obstacles.
Anyone interested at taking a peek at the future of transportation can register at for a ride at www.ottawaridematch.com. The loop around Tunney’s Pasture takes 15 minutes. While on board take advantage of chatting with the EasyMile operator. They are super friendly and are happy to answer questions.
This Ottawa research project is using the EZ10 shuttle by EasyMile, an industry leader in self-driving automated technology. Among its credentials, safety track record and expertise, the company:
- Has operated automated vehicles in 300+ locations in more than 30 countries, garnering international recognition for quality delivery and real-service deployments
- Serves global clients including leading transport operators, city authorities, airports, business parks, universities, manufacturers, factories, and logistics centers
- Is the first in the world to deploy an automated shuttle with Level 4 autonomy
- Is the first automated vehicle solutions provider to be ISO 9001:2015 certified
- Created the EZ10 shuttle to improve public transport by connecting transportation hubs
- Combines engineering expertise and technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) robotics, computer vision and vehicle dynamics powered by deep learning in all solutions
Organizations Participating in LSAS include:
- Transport Canada is supporting this research project to test and evaluate this emerging technology. Results will inform Transport Canada approaches for low-speed automated shuttles, including the development of guidance documents for connected and automated vehicles testing in Canada
- Invest Ottawa, lead economic development agency for knowledge-based industries, and founder, leader and manager of Area X.O, the futureplex of innovation and collaboration, is delivering this innovative automated shuttle research project
- EasyMile is the shuttle vendor, owner and operator
- Additional key partners include: the City of Ottawa, Ontario's Ministry of Transportation, AutoGuardian, RideShark, the National Research Council of Canada and Accenture