iTnews
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Strategy

Newcastle debuts driverless CBD to beach shuttle

By Matt Johnston on Jul 10, 2019 2:05PM
Newcastle debuts driverless CBD to beach shuttle

Complementing its smart city strategy.

The City of Newcastle on the NSW coast has today unveiled an automated shuttle bus it plans to run between the central business district and the beach to complement its existing transport strategies.

Newcastle’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Nuatali Nelmes, indicated the fully-electric driverless vehicle, from French manufacturer Navya, will initially be geared towards tourists, rather than everyday users.

“We are planning for passengers to be able to take in views of the City’s harbour along the proposed 2km loop service, from Watt Street along Wharf Road to Nobbys [beach] and back, making it very appealing to tourists,” Nelmes said.

“A larger circuit will include some of Newcastle’s other beachside destinations after a couple of months.”

That would mean the 11-seater bus will parallel some of the city’s new light rail line, before extending beyond the final tram stop to fully connect to the coast. Larger buses don’t regularly follow Newcastle’s winding coastline, making additional transport options a bonus for the city’s growing tourism market.

The city’s transport operator, Keolis Downer, said the trial is being developed in accordance with state and national legislation and regulations regarding traffic and autonomous vehicles.

“Over the next month, we will complete a rigorous safety testing program, on-road and off-road, to prepare the vehicle for customer services,” Keolis Downer’s New Mobilities manager Sue Wiblin said in a statement.

Despite being fully automated, the shuttle will always have a chaperone on board during the 12-month trial, who will be able to intervene and take control of the bus if required.

While the trial is set to determine how well driverless vehicles operate in the city’s mix of traffic and integrate with different public transit solutions, the City of Newcastle also indicated the tests would help gauge the public response and engagement with such services.

The trial was initially flagged in November last year, with the council saying the bus would be free for Novocastrians to use. It did not say whether that would still be the case in announcing the launch of the trial.

It also hopes to build on earlier successes in the ‘smart city’ space, including the launch of a publically-accessible internet of things (IoT) network designed to support council efficiency measures and support a nascent startup community.

“This is a major milestone for the city’s smart city journey, and I look forward to working with Transport for NSW and partners Keolis Downer on this unique opportunity to make the future of automated transport in Newcastle a reality as we transform the city into a living lab,” Nelmes added.

Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Copyright © iTnews.com.au . All rights reserved.
Tags:
autonomous vehicledriverless vehiclehardwarekeolis downerlocal governmentnavyanewcastleprojectsmart citystrategytfnswtourismtransportit

Partner Content

How to turn digital complexity into competitive advantage
Promoted Content How to turn digital complexity into competitive advantage
Security: Understanding the fundamentals of governance, risk & compliance
Promoted Content Security: Understanding the fundamentals of governance, risk & compliance
Why rethinking your CMS is crucial for customer retention
Promoted Content Why rethinking your CMS is crucial for customer retention
The Great Resignation has intensified insider security threats
Promoted Content The Great Resignation has intensified insider security threats

Sponsored Whitepapers

Free eBook: Digital Transformation 101 – for banks
Free eBook: Digital Transformation 101 – for banks
Why financial services need to tackle their Middle Office
Why financial services need to tackle their Middle Office
Learn: The latest way to transfer files between customers
Learn: The latest way to transfer files between customers
Extracting the value of data using Unified Observability
Extracting the value of data using Unified Observability
Planning before the breach: You can’t protect what you can’t see
Planning before the breach: You can’t protect what you can’t see

Events

  • Forrester Technology & Innovation Asia Pacific 2022
By Matt Johnston
Jul 10 2019
2:05PM
0 Comments

Related Articles

  • NSW to investigate driverless taxis with Aptiv, Hyundai
  • NSW gov puts sensors on buses to find future potholes
  • Sydney Trains looks to IoT to cut back on power use
  • NSW gov to make digital Opal cards permanent in $570m upgrade
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Whatsapp Email A Friend

Most Read Articles

Australian court finds insurer not liable for ransomware clean-up costs

Australian court finds insurer not liable for ransomware clean-up costs

Telstra deregisters 900MHz sites “hindering” Optus 5G rollout

Telstra deregisters 900MHz sites “hindering” Optus 5G rollout

ADHA extends Accenture's My Health Record support deal for $100m

ADHA extends Accenture's My Health Record support deal for $100m

Defence, DEWR drop $160m on Microsoft software, Azure

Defence, DEWR drop $160m on Microsoft software, Azure

Digital Nation

Domino’s invests in observability for zero contact delivery
Domino’s invests in observability for zero contact delivery
COVER STORY: How KPMG, Mirvac and ASX use blockchain to build trust in the property sector
COVER STORY: How KPMG, Mirvac and ASX use blockchain to build trust in the property sector
Criteo to fork out $94.7m for consent breaches
Criteo to fork out $94.7m for consent breaches
Metaverses on the agenda for Dominello, Husic ministerial meeting
Metaverses on the agenda for Dominello, Husic ministerial meeting
Australia will lose 11 percent of jobs to automation by 2040: Forrester
Australia will lose 11 percent of jobs to automation by 2040: Forrester
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of nextmedia's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.