Markham pilots 1st autonomous shuttle initiative in York Region

Yorkregion.com
Nov. 7, 2022

Traffic congestion and efficient transportation top the priority list of Markham’s re-elected mayor.

“As chair of the York Region Rapid Transit Corporation, I am extremely proud of our award-winning bus-rapid transit system,” said Frank Scarpitti, in reference to the issues topping his priority list as mayor of the City of Markham.

So it's no surprise that the city has shown interest in an innovative pilot project to develop autonomous (no human driver), electric shuttle buses using short routes connecting transit hubs and local communities.

Markham and York Region Transit are partnering with the Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) to develop the pilot, which would still require government approval before going forward.

Josipa Petrunic, president and CEO of CUTRIC said the city is joining the project “because they have decided that better transit is something that Markham and York Region needs, and it's not only going to come from standard 40- and 60-foot buses.”

There's no set starting date for the trial, which would still need to be voted on by council. But Petrunic said it would likely involve three to four autonomous, low-speed shuttles being put out on the roads in Markham, capable of transporting about six to 12 people each and delivering various minibus shuttle services in residential communities.

The project would focus on short routes that are one to two kilometres, she said. These are small routes that would never justify a full bus or allocation of a bus driver. However, they are important because they constitute what are considered to be first-kilometre-last-kilometre problems.

“Markham Stouffville Hospital is a good example where people may want to get to the hospital, they might be able to get to a GO station or a Viva bus station, but then they might struggle to get from where they are to the hospital,” said Petrunic.

Markham Economist and Sun asked one bus rider at Connell YRT station what he thought of the proposal.

Yun Lei liked the idea of “cute” pods on the road. “It is interesting!” Lei said he once spotted an autonomous shuttle on a trial run in Toronto and was "so excited" that he followed the minibus for some distance. He believes the shuttles are safe even without human drivers at the steering wheels.

Petrunic does not hide the fact that the pilot could be risky

“Clearly, transit agencies are not using autonomous driverless shuttles right now, certainly not en masse, because there's still a lot of wrinkles to iron out, a lot of technological hiccups to resolve and a lot of issues that can only be fixed once we actually figure out what they are," she said. "That's part of technological innovation. It is risky.”

 

“But the city would also benefit by demonstrating that transit riders can use these shuttles seamlessly, safely and enjoyably.” said Petrunic.

Over the long term, the small electric shuttles could run in the fast-growing Markham downtown, she says.

“Let's say in downtown Markham, getting rid of some of that parking by encouraging people to take the shuttles into that downtown area from nearby residential communities, or around that downtown to reduce traffic and car usage, you would really support the economic growth of that area because you'd be bringing clientele to the shops, the cafés, the marketplaces around there, the facilities, the cinema, the gym, and they wouldn't have to be dependent on additional parking space for the clientele to have,” said Petrunic.