FAQ

Redland City Council is partnering with Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) to trial emerging transport technology on Redlands Coast.

The aim of the trial is to learn how highly automated vehicle technology (AVs) can play a role in the transport network by filling a public transport gap, and provide specific transport services.

The hours of operation are Wednesday to Friday, 9am to midday and 12.30pm - 3pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 10am - 12.30pm and 1pm - 3pm.

The trial will run until the end of June 2021 – approximately 7 months.

• While the RACQ Smart Shuttle is fully autonomous, a chaperone will be on board to assist passengers, ensure the vehicle is operating safely and engage with passengers regarding the technology and how the vehicle operates.  

• The chaperone will also be able to manually operate the shuttle if required.

• A requirement of the Queensland Government’s Conditional Permit for the trial is an on-board chaperone to assist patrons and take manual control of the vehicle if needed.
• The chaperone will also ensure COVID-safe conditions are maintained.

All members of the community are welcome to experience the service between Raby Bay Harbour and Raby Bay Foreshore Park and share their thoughts on the trial by providing feedback.

The trial will be at Raby Bay, Cleveland.

• There is no public transport available between Raby Bay Harbour and Raby Bay Foreshore Park. This provides an opportunity to link to existing train and bus services from Cleveland station and along Shore Street West.

• Raby Bay is a low-speed environment, relative to other parts of the mainland, which makes it an ideal open-road environment to test such technology.

• The Easymile EZ10 (EZ10) smart shuttle is owned by RACQ.

• Redland City Council’s role is as the operator of the FREE passenger service.

• The Easymile EZ10 Smart Shuttle has an automated ramp, which can be deployed and retracted at the press of a button, providing easy access.

• The vehicle can also lower to reduce the floor height to improve safety for passengers boarding and exiting.

• The on-board chaperone will be appropriately trained to provide assistance to patrons with a disability.

• No, the road will continue to function as an open road during the trial.
• A key objective of the trial is to test the capability of this technology in an open road environment.

• Council has installed signage along the route.

• Signage includes bus stop poles, bus zone signs, localisation signs and information signs at the harbour and foreshore park providing key information about the project and Smart Shuttle.

• When in autonomous mode, the EZ10 follows a pre-programmed route and uses its various sensors on board to collect a 360° view of the surrounding environment to detect objects and interact with other road users.
• The EZ10 relies on the fusion of several sensors (localisation lasers, GPS, odometry and cameras) to localise and navigate itself.

• The EZ10 features anti-collision software that allows the vehicle to detect objects at least 40 metres away. 
• This software, in conjunction with its various sensors, enables the vehicle to detect and adjust its speed in a safe and predictable manner when interacting with other road users.

• EasyMile has operated in 21 countries and has transported more than 320,000 passengers over 250,000km without serious incident.

• To further ensure safety, a number of dynamic vehicle tests using the shuttle have been successfully completed as part of the conditional permit provided by the Queensland Government prior to commencing the trial.

The shuttle speed will be limited to a maximum of 20 km/hr.

The trial will have a COVID-safe plan in place to ensure the safety of all passengers and employees, including limiting the number of passengers, regular and thorough cleaning regimes and contact tracing procedures.

Six if from the same household, otherwise four. All need to sign in using a QR code to ride the shuttle.