Scotland’s first autonomous vehicle passenger service is being piloted at Inverness Campus using a Navya Autonom shuttle.
Throughout the pilot, the Navya Autonom shuttle will operate on a 3-kilometre route linking Inverness Campus with the Inverness Retail and Business Park. The trials will run until March 2023.
The shuttle can transport up to 15 people, with 11 seated and 4 standing. It is operating on a fixed-route corridor that is restricted to public transport, pedestrians and cyclists.
During the first few months, the autonomous vehicle will run from 10am to 4pm. This will be a free service until 1 October.
Sophie Desormière, CEO of NAVYA said:Navya is proud to contribute to the deployment of the autonomous shuttle pilot project in Scotland. Providing shared and zero-emission autonomous transport solutions to promote multimodal ways of travel, reducing the need for personal vehicles, represents a major push to cities’ economic and tourist activities while contributing to their energy and ecological transition. The NAVYA shuttles facilitate a model of mobility for all, through concrete, flexible and safe services provided to users.
The scheme is promoted by HITRANS, the regional transport partnership for the Highlands and Islands, which says it is committed to encouraging multi-modal travel.
The trials aim to test the viability of operating autonomous shuttles on fixed routes in Scotland and will explore the technology required to use autonomous vehicles alongside other modes of transport.
Operations will be thoroughly monitored throughout the pilot, with a focus on the social impacts.
Scottish Minister for Transport Jenny Gilruth said:We want Scotland to be at the forefront of the Connected Mobility and Autonomous Vehicle industry and this pilot project is another exciting development. This type of innovation shows Scotland is very much open for business when it comes to trialling this technology. I wish Inverness Campus, HITRANS and project partners every success with this pilot.
The project is enabled through the collaboration of several organisations, including Stagecoach, which will operate the service, NAVYA, which designed, manufactured and deployed the shuttle, the Highland Council and Inverness Campus.
