Operating at Ülemiste City
Ülemiste City, the most radiant business district in Estonia now features a smart public transport system that combines self-driving shuttles, smart bus stops and a software platform into a unique mobile ecosystem.
Taavi Aas, the Estonian Minister of Economic Affairs noted that deploying driverless shuttles in a mixed-traffic environment is a remarkable step: “The route of the shuttles is complexed and poses multiple challenges, for instance a crossing with a tram road and interaction with pedestrians.”
The goal of this deployment is to further develop the smart city concept in order to bind the self-driving shuttles seamlessly with the existing transportation systems in the future. This creates an array of new sustainable and cost-effective transit solutions by connecting different transport hubs into a well-working system. In the long run, this encourages more people to choose the public transportation over a personal vehicle.
In Ülemiste City, the shuttles drive between Tallinn Airport and the Rail Baltic terminal. During the pilot, the shuttles will adapt to the traffic and will have to maintain a connection with the teleoperation room which gives them guidance when needed in order to maintain a safe environment for all members of the district.
The smart ecosystem in Ülemiste City is a part of the EU Horizon 2020 FABULOS (Future Automated Bus Urban Operation Sytems) project which is aimed at preparing cities for new innovative technologies and solution in order to implement them in the transportation systems. The project is funded by European Union and coordinated by Forum Virium Helsinki.
Auve Tech belongs to the Mobile Civitatem Consortium that takes part in the FABULOS project and also includes TalTech, Modern Mobility and Fleet Complete. In addition to the Ülemiste City pilot, the shuttles will be deployed in Lamia, Greece this fall.
