Driverless transit shuttles to be tested in Scarborough as early as next spring

Thestar.com
Oct. 15, 2020
David Rider

Some Scarborough residents will, in a pilot project starting as early as next spring, climb into a self-driving electric shuttle and ride to the local GO station.

The experiment is modest in terms of geography covered and people carried. And while the vehicle will use computers and sensors to guide itself through city streets, for testing purposes it will have more staff aboard than a normal TTC bus.

City officials say, though, the “automated shuttle trial” could launch Toronto toward what many transportation experts envision -- a future of automated zero-emission shuttles taking people from transit-starved homes to transit hubs.

The aim is to reduce the number of people commuting (even if only to transit stations) by car, by offering them a futuristic option.

“This is an important step in the right direction to test micro-transit technology,” said Coun. Jennifer McKelvie, whose Ward 25 includes the West Rouge neighbourhood where U.S.-made “Olli 2.0” shuttles will run.

The City of Toronto and provincial Metrolinx will operate the federally funded pilot project. City staff say the service could launch as early as April 2, but pandemic-related concerns might delay that.

Some key facts about the project:

• The vehicle: Local Motors, in partnership with Pacific Western Transportation, won a competition to provide the service via Olli 2.0, already being tested in other cities. The tall rectangular units are manufactured mostly with 3D printers. They can carry eight people but for the pilot project will always carry an operator able to take control and a TTC or Metrolinx staffer.
• The route: The program partners will set the route, number of stops and stop placement after consulting again with West Rouge residents, who were invited to consultations last year. Shuttles will run to Rouge Hill GO station and back only during morning and afternoon weekday rush hours. Stops will be decided by community acceptance, user need, accessible waiting areas, safety, and appropriate spacing for transit service.
• The experience: Shuttles will glide at 25 km/h or slower in regular traffic. Maximum waits at stops will be 20 to 30 minutes. The vehicles will each have an accessibility ramp and a system for securing wheelchairs. There will be no extra fee beyond the regular transit fare.
• The future: The city, TTC and Metrolinx will decide how long the pilot project lasts based on current ridership data, data from the pilot and weather conditions. “At this time, there is no intention to make this temporary trial permanent, nor to scale up automated shuttle services across the transit system without further analysis,” the city says.

McElvie said such a service makes sense in a neighbourhood without the density to justify traditional mass transit, but with residents who can be convinced to leave the car at home. She hopes it relieves ongoing parking pressures at the GO station.

The councillor is also hopeful that Olli 2.0 might eventually roll into service on weekends between the GO station and Rouge National Urban Park, which often has a parking shortage.

The TTC and other transit agencies in Ontario must, according to rules imposed by the provincial government, consider replacing some of their least-used bus routes with private “microtransit” services to be eligible for a second round of emergency COVID-19 relief. No bus route is impacted by this trial.

Mayor John Tory told CP24 that the pilot project is the first step toward “a brand new way to get a lot more people, especially on those cold winter days, thinking transit for them is a viable option.”