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Transports de la région Morges Bière Cossonay orders its first fleet of autonomous shuttles

Posted: 26 July 2017 | Intelligent Transport | No comments yet

The Transports de la région Morges Bière Cossonay (MBC) in Switzerland, has ordered its first fleet of autonomous shuttles from BestMile.

The Transports de la région Morges Bière Cossonay (MBC), a public transport operator based in western Switzerland, has ordered its very first fleet of autonomous shuttles.

MBC autonomous

BestMile will operate and optimise the new fleet of vehicles, and through this project, MBC aims to offer a complementary solution to connect the existing transportation network to currently unserved areas of the city of Cossonay.

After an initial dry run, due to last until December 2017 and the entry into force of the updated national timetables, the two shuttles constituting this brand new line will connect the passengers of the Cossonay-Penthalaz funicular station to the heart of the village and surrounding business and residential areas.

“The partnership we have developed with BestMile will allow us to operate the driverless fleet according to the quality standards of Swiss public transportation,” said Mauro Pascale, Head of Planning and Distribution Unit at MBC. “Thanks to the high-end capabilities of its platform for autonomous mobility services, we will be able to dispatch the shuttles according to real-time demand, thus offering our customers a service matching perfectly their daily mobility needs.”

The autonomous shuttles will move passengers in an urban environment composed of open streets and roads, offering several stops to passengers along the path. The frequency and timetable of the service will be linked to the funicular schedule adding a new level of complexity that MBC will be able to address thanks to the openness and agility of BestMile’s platform.

In a subsequent development phase, the service will also provide the passengers with the ability to book vehicles on-demand using a mobile application.