Digibus©: results from the first self-driving shuttle trial on a public road in Austria

Abstract

From April to November 2017, the non-profit research organisation Salzburg Research conducted the "Digibus© 2017" trial, the first trial of a self-driving shuttle on a public road in Austria. The shuttle from the French company Navya Tech has been tested on a 1.4-km long track in the village of Koppl, which is situated approximately ten kilometres east from the City of Salzburg. The trial in Koppl was one of the first trials worldwide on public roads with mixed traffic in a rural area. The focus of this trial was on the real-world evaluation of a self-driving shuttle for bridging the first/last mile in public transport. From April to November 2017, 240 test drives with 874 passengers covering 341 test kilometres have been conducted. Results show that the technology is ready for testing, but there is still a long way to go for driverless operation, especially in mixed traffic scenarios. The work describes the trial setting, the test route, the process of deploying the shuttle, experiences collected during the trial as well as results from a passenger survey. The accompanying passenger survey with 294 participants revealed high acceptance and a good feeling of safety.

Experience and Acceptance of Autonomous Shuttles in the Brussels Capital Region

“…A further comparison of the respondents' comments from the Brussels sites to the comments gathered at the Austrian pilot site [33] shows similarities in terms of the aspects of the shuttle and experiences that were liked and disliked. Passengers appreciated the silent and smooth driving behaviour of the vehicle, and they felt safe during the ride.…”

“…In both studies, respondents' satisfaction with aspects of the shuttle and the availability and professionalism of the accompanying personnel was very positive. Furthermore, in other European pilot studies, the presence of an onboard operator has been remarked to provide an increased feeling of safety for passengers [33]. In a transition period from manually driven to autonomous transport, it can be argued that on-board personnel can serve to inform the passengers and reassure them with their knowledge.…”

“…Similarly, Rehrl and Zankl [33] tested the operation of a first/last mile connection with public transport using an autonomous shuttle in a rural area (municipality of Kopple, Austria). Feedback from the passengers of the shuttle was gathered using an online survey immediately after the test ride.…”

Transport Security in the Sustainable Development of the City: Legal Aspect

“…The researches point out the fact that many automatic systems and sensors that ensure autonomous driving mode operate properly only under optimal weather conditions or during daylight hours [6] (Bartuska, 2020). It is also said that most part of test drives is conducted in sunny weather that is far from reality [7]. A special concern is raised around this issue in Russia since its road and the climatic environment is characterized by extended periods of negative temperatures (up to 8-10 months per year); significant pollutions of road pavement, significant road unevenness causing accidents, and so on [8].…”

“What’s the Robo-Driver up to?” Requirements for Screen-based Awareness and Intent Communication in Autonomous Buses

“…Until now, only few studies have been conducted that look into the future acceptance of autonomous buses [20,6]. Recent demonstration projects of autonomous buses have shown that passengers feel rather safe in automated buses [5], but, as noted by Rehrl et al [23] this is likely caused by the presence of a human operator, who is required by law during all drives. Rehrl et al also assume that fully 'unaccompanied' buses with higher driving speeds and mixed traffic, as can be expected to be introduced within the next years, will lead to a decrease in the passenger's sense of safety.…”