What is S3?
The S3 Shared Shuttle Services Project is part of the Swedish Government’s Innovation Program “Next Generation Travel and Transport” ,and is partly financed by Vinnova through Drive Sweden. Keolis is the operator of the service, and the project is led by the research institute RISE.
Who is involved with the project?
Partners in the project are Keolis, RISE, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborgs Stads Parkering AB, Ericsson, Härryda Municipal, Johanneberg Science Park and Västtrafik. Read more about the different organizations here.
What does it cost to ride the shuttle?
During our pilot and testing phases, the self-driving shuttles are completely free! So we hope to see you on board!
Is it safe to be in a self-driving shuttle?
Sensors on the busses are scanning the environment in 360 degrees in a 60 meter radius. If anything, the bus is a very careful driver. It also runs calmly and extremely cautiously, and if something irregular appears on the road, the bus simply stops. A common estimate is that 94% of all road accidents are caused by human behavior and mistakes, and that a shift to an ever-waking and predictable system drastically improves road safety. We want to emphasize that the authorities have given permission to drive on our specific routes, following a thorough investigation of vehicle safety and the specific site conditions.
How will the self-driving buses be of use for the citizens of Gothenburg?
Our hope is that the shuttle will be a last mile solution to avoid parking in central Lindholmen and for anyone who has to travel around the Lindholmen area, the self-driving buses will be useful for getting around more easily.
More importantly, we want to give the opportunity to let everyone who wants to experience and learn more about self-driving technology, in the real world, but still under controlled conditions. Our hope is that this pilot is an early step in the direction of efficient and sustainable future transport systems, by learning more about potential and challenges with more automated and shared transport services.
How does the vehicle find its way around?
The buses navigate with LiDARs and a range of different connections, allowing the vehicles to determine their position in real time based on a saved map of the route and their current distance to a local antenna. Learn more about the technology here.
How are the self-driving buses a good thing for the environment?
They run entirely on electricity and are therefore local emission free. Besides no carbon emissions while driving, it also means that they make less noise than regular cars and buses. In the long-term, self-driving and shared transportation has the potential to reduce congestion and lead to more efficiency in our transportation network.
Great, I want a ride! When will the shuttles be going?
The first tests have already been carried out at Chalmers Campus Johanneberg, and the trials continue on Lindholmen 2019 and 2020.
Contact
Anne Faxér
Projektledare RISE
+46 10 228 40 01
anne.faxer@ri.se