ArchParc, RATP Dev via its subsidiary Alpbus and their partner Bestmile have joined forces to set up the first trial with a demand-responsive driverless shuttle service for travelling around the Archamps park.
Serving 7 stops within the technology park, this cutting-edge driverless mobility project uses the latest-generation shuttle from Toulouse-based company Easymile. The experiment started in early September and will continue for an initial experimental phase lasting 4 months.
After downloading the dedicated app, users can define their points of departure and arrival in advance, before even boarding the shuttle. Ultimately, the shuttle will be able to change route, optimising its journey to take new passenger requests into account.
RATP Dev has been able to bring together the skills of the various players to design a project combining driverless mobility and an approach inspired by demand-responsive transport. To support the project, drivers from Alpbus, an RATP Dev subsidiary, have been trained to become driverless shuttle operators and ensure, from on board the shuttle, the safety of users and local residents when the shuttle is in use. The health protocols linked to Covid-19 could therefore be anticipated, and users can travel on the shuttle in complete safety.
The echosmile project aims to understand how the technological potential of driverless vehicles can be used to meet a need for demand-responsive mobility and is studying the specifications for collective and sustainable mobility in the service of users. Experiments will thus take place mainly at ArchParc, and in the mirror business park in Switzerland, ZIPLO.
Our approach to innovation is both ambitious and very pragmatic. It’s about offering new services to cities and their residents to support changes in mobility and to meet the challenges of climate change. This pilot site is very important because, together with all the players, it will let us create a new customer experience that inspires confidence and makes these new services attractive.
This driverless shuttle project is the perfect illustration of our dynamism in terms of project implementation. The echosmile experiment (Interreg project) is resolutely focused on feedback from users and the needs of businesses. We want to become the place for experimentation with the mobility of the future for Greater Geneva, a real living lab for mobility. The responsiveness of the park’s players has allowed us to give a warm welcome to this type of experiment. Our ambition is resolutely turned towards the future, as we are co-piloting the ArchParc Nomads Platform (PAN) with the Nomads foundation, aiming to identify and accelerate innovative projects for new mobilities in Greater Geneva.
This driverless shuttle project is the perfect illustration of our dynamism in terms of project implementation. The echosmile experiment (Interreg project) is resolutely focused on feedback from users and the needs of businesses. We want to become the place for experimentation with the mobility of the future for Greater Geneva, a real living lab for mobility. The responsiveness of the park’s players has allowed us to give a warm welcome to this type of experiment. Our ambition is resolutely turned towards the future, as we are co-piloting the ArchParc Nomads Platform (PAN) with the Nomads foundation, aiming to identify and accelerate innovative projects for new mobilities in Greater Geneva.
Due to its active involvement in cross-border mobility and its strategic position, ArchParc (170 companies, 1,600 employees, 15,000 visitors, 60,000 vehicles per day for cross-border workers, 50,000 vehicles per day at the ArchParc motorway junction) is reaffirming its ambition to become the region’s leading service platform by deploying new offers for economic players in Greater Geneva, including innovation and entrepreneurship, training and events and sustainable mobility.