In Toulouse, an autonomous shuttle soon in circulation
One more step towards innovative mobility in Toulouse. EasyMile, a specialist in autonomous shuttles, received authorization on November 22 from run your level 4 autonomous shuttle, that is to say without a driver on board, on the Toulouse Oncopole site.
The start-up plans to start tests without passengers in the coming days and wants to open to the public this shuttle service without an operator on board “by early January 2022 ” she reveals in a press release.
Unprecedented circulation of autonomous shuttles on public roads
During the tests, the 100% autonomous transport will achieve a journey of 600 meters on a public road. To date, the company has already deployed driverless autonomous vehicles in France, but on private sites.
The experiment at the Oncopole in Toulouse will therefore have the particularity of standing on public roads, accessible to other road users. A first in France.
To ensure the safety of journeys, “A disembarked operator will be responsible for supervising the shuttle from a control center making it possible to monitor several autonomous vehicles”, explains EasyMile.
New regulatory framework
Following the decree on the “Mobility Orientation Law” adopted on June 29, 2021, a new regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles will come into force in September 2022. The latter thus authorized to travel without an operator on board on public roads.
This experimental authorization issued to EasyMile is a great first, which foreshadows the entry into force of the sustainable regulatory framework in 2022. The law will allow the deployment of vehicles without any human intervention on board, by defining the distribution of roles and responsibilities between the driver and designer of the automated system, “said Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, Minister of Transport, during his trip to Toulouse for the inauguration of the Innovation Agency for Transport (AIT) on November 22.
A new initiative that supports Toulouse in the top of the most innovative cities in the world.
>> ALSO READ: Toulouse among the world’s top 50 most innovative cities