The autonomous shuttles will serve the suburban train station of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines-Montigny-le-Bretonneux and several local business parks in the Île-de-France Mobilités network.
A new bus line using autonomous electric shuttles has been inaugurated in the Paris Ile-de-France region.
The shuttles will serve the suburban train station of Saint-Quentin-enYvelines-Montigny-le-Bretonneux on the Paris-Brest railway and several local business parks in the Île-de-France Mobilités network.
Last-mile solution
Île-de-France Mobilités, the public transport authority for the region, selected multi-modal transportation company Keolis to run the new line, which is designed to complement the existing bus service by providing a last-mile solution for the local employment area.
Introduction of the service follows previous trials in La Défense and Vincennes in close collaboration with Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines intercommunal district.
From 31 March 2021 to June 2022 (with a possible extension), three Navya autonomous shuttles will run between the Pas-du-Lac business park in Montigny-le-Bretonneux and Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines / Montigny-le-Bretonneux train station, over a 1.6km route incorporating three stops.
Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines intercommunal district, with the support of Montigny-le-Bretonneux, the Pas-duLac local co-ownership association (ASL) and Banque Populaire Val de France, are providing technical engineering expertise for the project.
The district also made necessary adjustments to enable the shuttles and their integrated technology to operate safely in high-density traffic.
Backed by €2.4m in funding from Île-de-France Mobilités, the service is free of charge for all passengers and operates Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 8pm. Shuttles will operate every eight minutes in rush hour and every 17 minutes at off-peak times.
Each autonomous electric shuttle can carry 11 seated passengers. A safety operator will be present in the vehicle at all times, ready to intervene if necessary, in compliance with current legislation. The shuttles navigate across busy junctions thanks to on-board vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology enabling them to communicate with traffic lights as well as a retractable bollard connected to the vehicle via a RFID device. This is actioned automatically as the shuttle approaches.
Keolis uses a fleet management tool provided by VIA, a developer and provider of on-demand shared ride services. The system tracks the shuttles’ position remotely in real-time, and monitors passenger numbers, kilometres covered and vehicle speed.
Île-de-France Mobilités designs, organises and finances transport for everyone living in the Ile-de-France region. It operates 1,500 bus routes, 14 metro lines, nine tram lines and 13 train and Réseau Express Régional (RER) lines which crisscross the region.
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