French mobility firm Navya has partnered with Highlands and Islands Enterprise to deploy an autonomous shuttle at its Inverness Campus.
Trials are underway with Scotland’s first autonomous vehicle (AV) passenger shuttle, operating on the three-kilometre route between the campus and business park until next March.
The Navya Autonom, a 15-passenger AV, will test the route viability and technology required to combine it with other transport modes.
Councillor Ken Gowans, chair of the Highland Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee, said: “The Inverness Campus is an ideal location to trial such a technologically advanced form of transport.
“I found the ride felt very safe and enjoyable and the other passengers were impressed too - the bus travels at around twice the speed of walking and will be ideal for localised journeys.”
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 is another exciting development which shows that Scotland is open for business when it comes to trialling this technology."
Highland Council and Stagecoach, which will operate the service, are keen to see the shuttle used as much as possible throughout the trial and are encouraging schoolchildren and young people to use the service, which is operating between 10am and 4pm, free of charge, until 1 October.
David Beaton, managing director for Stagecoach Highlands, said: “As a company with innovation firmly at our heart, we are very excited to be involved in the pilot of the autonomous technology in Inverness.
“Autonomous vehicle technology can provide major benefits, with evidence suggesting that it can further enhance safety, deliver fuel and efficiency savings from more optimised braking and acceleration, as well as a better overall customer experience.
“Through the pilot at Inverness Campus and the major trial we are leading in East Scotland which will see the country's full-sized autonomous buses operating over the Forth Road Bridge, we are learning a lot about this new technology and how it could be used to benefit the communities we serve.“
Promoting the scheme is HITRANS, the regional transport partnership for the Highlands and Islands, which has attracted European funding - through the Planning for Autonomous Vehicles project, funded by the Interreg North Sea Region Programme - and is working with a number of partners to deliver the project.
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