Machines will be operating self-driving vehicles on Toronto’s streets by 2021.
The future is here: it looks like there’s going to be a self-driving shuttle bus on the streets of Toronto as early as next year! The City of Toronto signed an agreement with Local Motors by LM Industries to create automated electric shuttles, and the trial is set to begin in the spring of 2021.
According to the news release, each of these futuristic shuttles has room for up to eight passengers and will be wheelchair accessible. Furthermore, the first shuttle service “will connect the West Rouge neighbourhood and Rouge Hill GO station, and will be coordinated with GO Transit schedules.”
#CityofTO signs agreement to deliver Automated Shuttle Trial planned for Spring 2021. News release: https://t.co/Bp8KrMPNVC pic.twitter.com/pLHervhk0R
— City of Toronto (@cityoftoronto) October 14, 2020
The trial will last from 6 to 12 months and there will be two designated staff members on board for every trip. After the trial, they plan to have one safety steward on board to oversee the vehicle and manually take control when required.
The primary goal of this trial is to learn more about how automated shuttles will play a role in future public transit delivery. “This innovative project will provide valuable insight, while embracing innovation that could help us build a better, more sustainable and equitable transportation network,” said Mayor John Tory in the news release.
Who knows, maybe we’ll be seeing a lot more of these self-driving vehicles on our streets soon afterwards!
Here's a look at Toronto's first ever self-driving shuttle bus scheduled to hit the streets in Spring of 2021.
The electric, autonomous vehicle will run from a Scarborough neighborhood to the Rouge Hill GO station for a 6-12 month trial period. pic.twitter.com/3PwfxE6xFp
— Kamil Karamali (@KamilKaramali) October 14, 2020
[Featured Image Source: Local Motors]