Redlands Coast Smart Mobility Trial

The wheels on the driverless bus will soon stop going round and round at Raby Bay as the Redlands Coast Smart Mobility Trial draws to a close.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said the RACQ Smart Shuttle would travel its last circuit along Masthead Drive on 26 June.

“So far 1,339 passengers have taken a free ride, with the EasyMile vehicle travelling more than 3,000 kilometres since November last year,” Cr Williams said.

“I encourage all Redlands Coast residents and visitors to the area to hop on board for their last chance to taste the future of public transport.

“The first stop is an easy 350 metre walk from Cleveland railway station, with a 1.9 kilometre loop connecting the Raby Bay Harbour precinct to Raby Bay Foreshore Park along Masthead Drive. “

Division 2 Councillor Peter Mitchell thanked Raby Bay residents for their patience while the trial has been underway.

“It is an exciting new chapter for transport with Redland City Council once again partnering with RACQ for phase two of the smart mobility trial,” Cr Mitchell said.

“Locating the second phase at Raby Bay enabled the driverless technology to be tested in a more complex live-traffic environment than that of tiny Karragarra Island, where phase one of the trail was conducted.”

Councillor Williams said Redlands Coast faced a number of transport challenges; and by partnering with RACQ in these trials, Council had demonstrated its commitment to finding innovative ways to help our residents overcome these challenges.

“The valuable insights gained will help guide Council’s policy development and advocacy efforts with relation to transport within the city and linking to our region,” she said.

“We are happy to have played our part and wish RACQ well as their Smart Shuttle leaves Redlands Coast to continue its journey on other Queensland roads.”

RACQ Head of Public Policy Susan Furze thanked Mayor Williams and the Redland City Council team for its partnership in integrating the driverless technology on local roads.

“Our vision is for all Queenslanders to have access to safe, affordable and sustainable transport options, so to have the opportunity to test new technologies like this in a live-traffic environment goes a long way in helping us realise future possibilities,” Ms Furze said.

“We will now be looking closely at the learnings and feedback from the trials at both Raby Bay and Karragarra Island to help us better understand and develop how driverless transport options could help serve communities in the future.”

The Redlands Coast Smart Mobility trial is a joint initiative between the RACQ and Redland City Council, which will trial the use of the RACQ Smart Shuttle at Raby Bay, Cleveland.

The RACQ Smart Shuttle is now taking passengers along Raby Bay streets as phase two of the Redlands Coast Smart Mobility trial goes live.

In a joint initiative between the RACQ and Redland City Council, the small driverless bus that travelled the quiet streets of Karragarra Island earlier this year has now moved to the more challenging traffic environment of Raby Bay.

Mayor Karen Williams said the smart shuttle would provide free public transport for up to six passengers at a time during off-peak hours, to minimise disruption.

“The automated vehicle (AV) will be travelling between Raby Bay Harbour and Raby Bay Foreshore Park – a route not serviced by traditional public transport – from 9am-3pm Wednesdays to Fridays and 10am-3pm on weekends,” Cr Williams said.

“Redlands Coast embraces innovation and this trial reflects Council’s commitment to overcoming Redlands Coast’s transport challenges while demonstrating our ambition as a progressive and forward-thinking city.

“The trial will provide a novel and fun public transport option until June 2021 while seeing the city involved in innovative research, building on the findings from Karragarra Island.

“The Raby Bay route will benefit both residents and visitors to this popular area, and I envisage the air-conditioned shuttle being a welcome transport option during summer.

“We are also seeing community interest in the shuttle’s technology, with people keen to experience a glimpse of the future.

“The shuttle has been ‘mapped’ to follow a set route, using sophisticated sensors for navigation and detection lasers to identify obstacles and ensure safe stopping and slowing.

“While a chaperone will always be on board the RACQ Smart Shuttle to assist passengers, the bus really does drive itself.”

Division 2 Councillor Peter Mitchell said Raby Bay was an ideal location for conducting the second phase of the trial.

“The wide streets and popularity of this part of Cleveland makes it a perfect location for further testing the capabilities of this autonomous vehicle,” he said.

“Now that the vehicle’s route has been mapped, it will speed up to approximately 20 kilometres per hour.

“I thank Raby Bay residents for their patience during the pre-deployment activities and ask that motorists continue to drive with care and only overtake when it is safe to do so, and give the shuttle a wide berth to prevent triggering the safety sensors.

“Nearby residents and businesses have been largely supportive of the trial, recognising the benefits to the local community and beyond.

“It’s pleasing to know that findings from the Raby Bay trial are expected to provide information that will see new, creative and better transport solutions for communities like ours in other parts of Queensland and even nationwide.”

RACQ Head of Public Policy Rebecca Michael said autonomous vehicles have the potential to change the way Queenslanders move and the Club was excited to partner with Redland City Council again.

“This is an incredible opportunity for ground-breaking research and we look forward to once again sharing the future of public transport with the Redlands Coast community,” Dr Michael said.

“The trial is a critical step in the broader process of integrating driverless technology onto our roads and we welcome feedback from locals, as this will help us ensure current and future trials positively impact Queenslander lives.”

Phase 2 of the Redlands Coast Smart Mobility Trial is now officially in pre-deployment stage. The vehicle is current mapping the Raby Bay route, which is why it is travelling at a very low speed with a traffic management vehicle following. This will continue intermittently until the vehicle is operational and taking passengers in late November (actual date to be confirmed).

The vehicle speed will gradually increase, reaching about 20 km/hour once it is taking passengers. We ask motorists to be patient and drive with care during the pre-deployment and trial period, which will continue until June 2021. Safety features mean the vehicle will come to a stop if other vehicles get too close.

Initial stakeholder discussions were held last week with members of the Raby Bay Ratepayers Association and local businesses from the Raby Bay Harbour precinct about the project and pre-deployment activities, flyers letterbox dropped in Masthead Drive and all streets off Masthead Drive and signage placed along the route.

Following the success of the Redlands Coast Smart Mobility Trial on Karragarra Island, Redland City Council has again partnered with RACQ for a second phase of the trial, to be held at Raby Bay, Cleveland.

The trial’s first phase saw the RACQ Smart Shuttle in use on the island from November 2019 to May 2020 in Queensland’s first long-term, on-road trial of the autonomous vehicle technology.

The small, driverless bus has a maximum speed of 20km/h, sophisticated sensors for navigation, and detection lasers to identify obstacles within 40 metres before stopping safely or slowing as needed.

Mayor Karen Williams said Karragarra Island had been the perfect site for the Queensland-first test of how an autonomous vehicle would perform in a live traffic environment.

“As a city of islands with rural and urban communities, we know Redlands Coast faces a number of transport challenges; and by partnering with RACQ in these trials, Council has demonstrated its commitment to finding innovative ways to help our residents overcome these challenges,” she said.

“Over the course of the island trial, more than 850 passengers experienced the potential of autonomous vehicle technology, with the bus travelling more than 1400 kilometres.

“At all times, it was staffed by a human operator who could take control if necessary.

“Now the technology will soon be trialled in the Raby Bay area of Cleveland and we are delighted to again be partnering with RACQ for the trial’s second phase, with the commencement date to be advised but we anticipate it starting in late November.”

Cr Williams said the trial would connect Raby Bay Harbour with Raby Bay Foreshore Park – two popular destinations not currently serviced by public transport.

“The harbour is just a short walk from existing bus and train services, and this trial area will test the driverless technology in a more complex traffic environment while allowing us to see and assess how it works in an integrated transport network,” she said.

“These ground-breaking trials on Redlands Coast will also be used to investigate other applications for the autonomous vehicle and to lobby for greater adoption of innovative transport across the State.”

Division 2 Councillor Peter Mitchell said he was pleased to know the trial would be operating in Cleveland.

“This trial will add to the invaluable data Council has already collected from the trial on Karragarra Island,” he said.

“This is as much about research as it is about transport, with it to provide information on practical uses of the technology, not only on Redlands Coast but also across Queensland and even nationwide.”

RACQ Head of Public Policy Rebecca Michael said the shuttle was an opportunity for Raby Bay locals to test the future of public transport.

“Autonomous vehicles will change the way we move in the future and we’re very excited that the Redlands Coast community gets to be front and centre of this ground-breaking trial and gets to test out the innovative technology now,” Dr Michael said.

“Once the trial begins, members of the community will be able to ride the shuttle for free and we’ll gather feedback on their experience and thoughts on the technology, so we can ensure current and future trials positively impact Queenslander lives.”

Phase one of the Redlands Coast Smart Mobility Trial has come to an end, with Karragarra Island residents saying goodbye to the little yellow RACQ Smart Shuttle that became a fixture on their local streets.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said the trial - a joint initiative between Redland City Council and RACQ, with support from the Council of Mayors (SEQ) - would help pave the way for future transport innovation on Redlands Coast.

“As a city of islands with rural and urban communities, we know the Redlands Coast faces a number of transport challenges and Council is committed to trialling innovation to help our residents overcome these challenges,” Cr Williams said.

“The Southern Moreton Bay Islands in particular have been poorly serviced by public transport, so we were delighted to collaborate with RACQ to host Queensland’s first full trial of an autonomous vehicle to test the performance of the EasyMile EZ10 Smart Shuttle (AV) on Karragarra Island.

“Due to its small population and low traffic environment, Karragarra Island was the perfect site for this Queensland-first test of how an autonomous vehicle would perform in a live traffic environment.”

Cr Williams said the results of the trial would now be used to investigate other routes for the autonomous vehicle and to lobby for greater adoption of innovative transport across the State.

“This trial was ground breaking, not only for Redlands Coast but for Queensland, with it being the first long-term trial in the State,” Cr Williams said.

“Over the course of the trial there were more than 850 passengers who experienced the potential of AVs, with the bus travelling more than 1400 kilometres.

“We will now work with RACQ and other stakeholders to investigate other potential routes where the vehicle can be deployed to continue testing the technology and building a business case for increased use of such technology.

RACQ’s Dr Rebecca Michael said that, concurrently with the trial, RACQ had engaged the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) to complete a research project evaluating interactions with the community and community expectations of autonomous vehicles.

“The trial was a catalyst for greater understanding by key stakeholders and the wider community about the role autonomous vehicles can play in an improved, integrated transport system,” Dr Michael said.

“I look forward to further partnership opportunities with Redland City Council.”

The RACQ Smart Shuttle hit the streets of Karragarra Island on Redlands Coast today, as part of a Queensland-first on-road trial.

The driverless bus, a joint initiative between RACQ and Redland City Council with the support of Council of Mayors SEQ, commenced timetabled services on the island, and residents and visitors were welcomed to step onboard for free.

RACQ Head of Public Policy Rebecca Michael said the Club was proud to introduce Queenslanders to the next generation of motoring.

“This trial will give us greater understanding of autonomous vehicles, their suitability to Australian driving conditions and how they interact with other road users,” Dr Michael said.

Dr Rebecca Michael, RACQ, Redland City Mayor Karen Williams and Greg Giraud, EasyMile

“The bus is the first ever form of public transport for the Karragarra Island community, which has some incredibly unique transport challenges that present a need for innovative solutions like this,” Cr Williams said.

“There’s a strong reliance on private vehicles, and the low traffic and low speed environment on the island makes it the perfect place to host this innovative trial.

“This is all about testing the technology to see if it can then be deployed to other areas, including our other residential islands.

“For me this journey began in 2017 when I got to experience this technology when in Singapore with the Council of Mayors (SEQ) and I knew then that this innovation could make a real difference to our island communities.

“We’re proud to be hosting this trial right here on our doorstep and encourage everyone to jump onboard and join us in making history.”

“It’s a critical step in the broader process of integrating this technology more permanently on our roads in future, but it’s equally as important that it’s trusted by Queenslanders.”

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said the bus was a step forward for the region as much as it was for the future of motoring.

19 August 2019

The future is here. RACQ driverless bus to hit the road

The State’s peak motoring body has today announced the RACQ Smart Shuttle will begin a Queensland-first trial on Karragarra Island in Redlands Coast.

RACQ’s Dr Rebecca Michael said the driverless bus trial, a joint initiative between the Club and Redland City Council with the support of Council of Mayors SEQ, would run for six months from November, and residents would have the opportunity to take part for free.

"We’re very excited to be introducing Queenslanders to the future of public transport with the RACQ Smart Shuttle, which aims to explore new transport options and address gaps in our public transport system," Dr Michael said.

"The RACQ Smart Shuttle has a maximum speed of 20km/h and will use sophisticated sensors to navigate and detection lasers which can identify obstacles within 40 metres before stopping safely or slowing down as needed.

"Karragarra Island currently has no public transport at all, so this trial is expected to make life much easier for residents and visitors who previously had to rely on private vehicles."

Dr Michael said the driverless bus, supplied by international mobility company EasyMile, would have a chaperone on board to answer any questions and take feedback and the vehicle was also all-abilities friendly with an automated ramp providing access as needed.

"The RACQ Smart Shuttle will operate on a three and half kilometre fixed loop route, starting at the Karragarra ferry terminal, continuing along The Esplanade; Maryanne Street and Treasure Island Avenue," she said.

"A timetable of services will be coordinated with ferry arrivals and passengers can hop on or off at one of eight bus stops along the route."

Redland City Council Mayor Karen Williams said better transport was a priority for residents and council was determined to investigate solutions.

"Redlands Coast has unique transport challenges that need innovative solutions, which is why we’re partnering with RACQ and Easy Mile on the Smart Mobility trial," she said.

"It’s exciting the first ever long-term trial of the technology in Queensland will be held on our Southern Moreton Bay Islands, providing an important step towards addressing long standing transport needs."

The Redlands Coast Smart Mobility trial is a joint initiative between the RACQ and Redland City Council with the support of Council of Mayors SEQ, which will trial the use of the RACQ Smart Shuttle on Karragarra Island in Queensland’s Moreton Bay.

For more information about the trial, click the link: RACQSmartShuttle