The Armidale Regional Driverless Initiative, known as “ARDi”, will operate a level four fully-automated EasyMile EZ10 shuttle inside the University of New England (UNE) campus, providing a regular service between the residential colleges and the main university campus.
The five kilometre route on campus is the longest shuttle deployment in Australia yet, and is the first of three phases for the trial. The next phase will see ARDi operate in the Armidale CBD, with the third phase extending the CBD route to the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM).
Transdev Australasia CEO Luke Agati said the company was excited to manage the operation and basic maintenance of the driverless shuttle across all three phases of the trial.
“Around the world Transdev has moved 3.5 million passengers in driverless shuttles since 2005, and we’ve clocked up over 1.6 million kilometres of experience,” Mr. Agati said.
At Transdev, we see the future of transport as PACE – Personalised, Autonomous, Connected and Eco-friendly – and ARDi will bring a first experience of that future to the people of Armidale.
The Armidale Regional Driverless Initiative, co-funded by Transport for NSW, brings together the NSW Government’s Smart Innovation Centre with Armidale Regional Council, Transdev, EasyMile, UNE, WSP, QBE Insurance and Edwards Coaches.
The free on campus services at UNE will begin on Thursday 21 February, and operate from 10am to 10pm Monday to Friday with a break for charging in the PM peak from 2-5pm.
ARDi will operate at UNE for four months before moving to the Armidale CBD. Community feedback will help design the route for phase 2 through the CBD and linking to NERAM.
Further information and service updates will be available at www.ardibus.com.au
About Transdev Australasia
- As an operator and global integrator of mobility, Transdev gives people the freedom to move wherever and however they choose.
- Transdev is proud to move 11 million people around the world every day thanks to efficient, easy to use and environmentally-friendly transportation services that connect people and communities.
- Locally, Transdev is the largest provider of multi-modal public transport, operating services across Australia and New Zealand since 1998.
- Our team of 5,800 employees move 150 million people a year across our seven modes – heavy rail, light rail, bus, coach, ferry, on demand and soon autonomous shuttles – in Armidale, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Auckland and Wellington.
- Our approach is rooted in long-term partnerships with businesses and public authorities, and in the relentless pursuit of the safest and most innovative mobility solutions.
- At Transdev, we are Journey Makers. We believe public transport plays an important part in how a city comes to life. Our day-today work influences our families, friends and future generations where they live, work and play.
- As Journey Makers, our role is to exceed the expectations of the communities we serve and to contribute to liveability and the sustainable development of our cities.
- We are a team of people serving people, and mobility is what we do.