According to the company, which is working in partnership with the Durham Region Transit (DRT), Metrolinx and Nokia Canada, passengers will have the opportunity to ‘Ride the WAVE’ (Whitby Autonomous Vehicle Electric) along the waterfront in the town of Whitby after testing has completed during the summer.
The pilot is the first time in Canada that an emission-free autonomous shuttle and smart infrastructure will be fully integrated into an existing transit service. It is happening along the six-kilometre DRT300 shuttle route that begins and ends at the Whitby GO Transit station.
According to Smartcone the service will feature more than 50 pieces of smart transportation infrastructure including geo-fenced speed zones set to 20km/h, blind spots sighting and use of real-time audio and visual alerts to other road users.
Caroline Mulroney, minister of transportation for the government of Ontario, said: “Transportation advancements, like autonomous vehicles, have the potential to transform the way people live, work and move across the province. The introduction of this innovative new autonomous shuttle pilot will help connect people in Whitby to GO services, creating a more connected, efficient transit system for the region.”
