An autonomous shuttle bus is currently being tested at Flinders University and has now entered the second stage of its trial.
Dubbed the “Flinders University Express Shuttle” (FLEX), the bus can carry 11 seated passengers. It operates on a 2.8km route and is described as a “test bed” for the future of autonomous vehicles in South Australia.
In what continues to be one of Australia’s only public autonomous vehicle testing programs, the Flinders University autonomous shuttle bus travels around the Tonsely innovation district, between the train station, the residential village, the university and the TAFE. It’s a walking distance route, but keep in mind that it’s only a trial at the moment.
Having been established in 2018 and after being shut down during the height of the pandemic, the autonomous bus is back up and running at the Tonsely Flinders campus, now with an on-demand booking app and remote supervision centre. The remote supervision centre is hoping to remove the need for “chaperones”, who currently accompany the bus in case of an emergency.
“It’s important to learn how the use of automated vehicle technology can be adapted into our future planning with the integration of other technologies, so stage two of the FLEX trial can provide greater insights into developing the physical infrastructure and technology required to provide better services for the public and we’re encouraging everyone to try it out,” said Professor Rocco Zito, the head of civil engineering at Flinders University.
“For example, we are evaluating the development of Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I) communications enabling FLEX to talk with traffic lights at signalised intersections to improve safety our trial is also expanding with the establishment of an autonomous vehicle test bed.”
Autonomous vehicles are a hot topic right now. In Australia, the only state where autonomous vehicles are publically legal for trials is South Australia (where Flinders University operates). Outside of South Australia, you’re unlikely to see something like this bus on Australian roads.
In the U.S., Tesla has been under fire for its autonomous vehicles’ ability to detect oncoming obstacles and pedestrians. It’s a technology field still in the early days of development, but universities like Flinders see this autonomous bus as a potential use case.
If you’d like to try out Flinders’ autonomous bus, you can book a ride from the Tonsely train station or any bus stops within the precinct by accessing the FLEX website or by scanning a QR code with your phone. The bus operates from 10am to 2pm, Monday to Friday.
You can read the press release on the Flinders University website.