Autonomous bus starts operating in Vilnius
Vilnius officially started the testing of the autonomous public transport bus funded by the Interreg Europe Programme within EMBRACER. The test will last two months, during which the effectiveness of the bus in the city‘s public transport system will be evaluated.
The autonomous bus will operate on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The route duration is approximately 50 minutes. The self – driving bus is powered by electricity, so there will be intervals during the day when it cannot run due to charging. The bus will stop at 13 stops – two permanent and 11 temporary stops, which will function as long as the autonomous bus operates in Vilnius. During the testing period riding the autonomous bus will be free.
“This 4 – kilometer route was chosen based on several criteria: the condition of the public transport infrastructure, the potential number of passengers, the suitability of street infrastructure, traffic intensity, access to charging stations, and community involvement. The route is designed to connect residents to the nearest public transport stops, where they can transfer to continue their journey”, – said Loreta Levulytė-Staškevičienė, Director of the Vilnius Mobility Agency JUDU, the EMBRACER partner implementing the pilot.
During the test, data will be collected and analyzed regarding passenger flows, the quality and suitability of the infrastructure for autonomous transport, as well as the potential effectiveness of the autonomous bus as a form of public transport and its potential integration into the city’s transportation system in the future.
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