NSW Transport is scheduled to begin researching driverless rideshare services with US autonomous vehicle start-up Motional in a collaboration that might lead to the piloting of a future ‘robotaxi.’ As concerns about the safety of self-driving cars remain in the aftermath of accidents in the United States, TfNSW announced that it would begin working with Motional to establish the groundwork for an Australian-first pilot program. Motional, a joint autonomous car business founded late last year by Aptiv and Hyundai, has already developed driverless ride shared services internationally for the past five years.
TfNSW deputy secretary for consumer strategy and technology, Joost de Kock, said the new collaboration would help the authority to understand better how a robotaxi service may function in NSW. “We need to begin to think about a variety of issues including location and infrastructure, travel times, links to public transportation, and the advantages to surrounding people,” he says. Since the trial began in 2018, more than 100,000 self-driving rides have been conducted, with Motional now focusing on commercial deployment in 2023.
While TfNSW has already tested autonomous vehicles, beginning with a driverless shuttle bus at Sydney’s Olympic Park in 2017, pilots have so far been restricted to less densely populated regions.
TfNSW announced intentions to test full-sized autonomous commuter buses on several of Sydney’s biggest public transportation routes by 2022. However, this is likely to be postponed due to the epidemic. Gretchen Effgen, vice president of motional go-to-market and marketing, stated that the partnership with TfNSW is crucial to making autonomous vehicles a “safe, worldwide reality.”
“We’re excited to collaborate with TfNSW to help explain NSW’s transportation infrastructure, mobility demands, and how autonomous cars may play a role,” he added. “The study we’re conducting will provide the basis for future crucial decisions concerning this technology.”
