Autonomous Mobility
Autonomous bus shuttles optimally complement public transport - not only on the first and last mile
Our urban mobility, ideally built on various sharing schemes and end-to-end connectivity, faces the challenge of providing the right transport options for the so-called "first and last mile". A convenient solution for the travelers are self-driving bus shuttles, which reliably take passengers from the last public transport station to their final destination. Based on intelligent road-side infrastructure, our system enables especially safe solutions for autonomous bus shuttle services.
The next mobility revolution - autonomous driving as a game changer
Recent studies show that the use of shared autonomous vehicles in local public transport can reduce the volume of road traffic by 90 %. In conjunction with efficient transport communication systems, this could help prevent as many as 81 % of all accidents. Today, transport accounts for about 25 % of global primary energy consumption and for ca. 20 % of global CO2 emissions. Fleets of electrically operated bus shuttles in shared use can significantly reduce this environmental impact.Our goal is to integrate autonomous bus shuttles operated by ‘digital drivers’, without further personnel on board, safely and efficiently into urban public transport. These shuttles will no longer follow a fixed route from bus stop to bus stop, but their schedule will be determined by the individual needs of the passengers. This innovative technology is currently being tested in Singapore and at the Siemens site in Munich-Perlach. Siemens Mobility has equipped both test tracks with intelligent infrastructure. With the help of a digital twin, we are first testing our system there in a virtual environment before we carry out actual tests on the physical tracks.Kunal Chandra, Head of Shared Autonomous Mobility unit
- Together with our partners we develop solutions for public transport operators as well as all other fleet operators whose offer includes autonomous shuttles
- One solution is a so-called digital driver, (vehicle function for autonomous driving) supported by information from road-side infrastructure - entirely without a human driver
- The redundant system (combined use of two different information sources) maximizes safety of autonomous shuttle operations and accelerates the approval process
- The exchange of information between infrastructure and bus shuttles minimizes risks and enables faster and more comfortable travel within the public street network
- The system ensures bus shuttles travelling around obstacles such as parked trucks or playing children and to initiate timely braking to protect people present on the roadway in a section of the route not yet visible to the shuttle itself - if necessary, the speed is reduced or the vehicle is stopped completely until the danger is over
- Integrated into a cloud-based mobility management architecture that performs numerous functions, e.g. fleet monitoring, route planning and navigation or vehicle condition monitoring, as well as the use of the shuttles for service runs or emergency interventions
- Simulation software for planning, testing and validation of the system is always part of our solution - enabeling us to provide maximum safety and comfort for passengers and operators
Comprises various management systems and processes as well as interfaces for the operation of autonomous bus shuttles, such as shuttle monitoring, dashboards, incident handling and emergency surveillance. Integration into the cloud makes maintenance and operation considerably easier and more efficient because all relevant data can be merged and cross-linked. Our Software-as-a-Service solution offers high scalability and provides flexible and location-independent access to the system.
Our intelligent infrastructure delivers real-time traffic information. The enhanced perception of the environment makes safe and efficient autonomous driving possible. At critical spots and sections of the street network, the required infrastructure is installed and put into operation. It detects objects such as vehicles or persons and makes the information available to the vehicle, supporting the bus shuttle’s operation in complex traffic situations, e.g. when turning at an intersection or for zones that are out of the line of sight of its own sensors. The timely detection of obstacles and hazards enables proactive driving.
The system collects passenger requests and calculates recommendations for routes and transport means to use, making the information available to the user per app. This facilitates intermodal journeys and efficient connections for the first and last mile, based on the entire range of available means of transport.
Benefits and highlights
- Safe and comfortable passenger transport with the AD-DRT system for urban bus shuttles
- Higher safety through enhancing the vehicle's perception with data from infrastructure sensors
- Our system is vehicle-independent and with it's open interface compatible with autonomous bus shuttles from different manufacturers
- The future of mobility will only be viable with its open systems and the seamless exchange of information
- More sustainable mobility with shared, connected and electrically operated local transport services
- Increase vehicle utilization levels through a demand-driven operation
- Minimize CO2 emissions and pollution with ecologically optimized drive systems
