Perth is one of three cities in the world to be chosen to
host a trial of a new type of electric-powered autonomous vehicles.
Run by Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia (RAC WA) in partnership with the State
Government, the trial will involve several vehicles called Autonoms produced by
French company NAVYA.
According the media
release, the vehicles are expected to arrive in Perth in April 2018 and
will be trialled in a closed and controlled environment.
The State Government and the RAC will be working together to
explore potential locations for the initial trial, and potentially for a
limited on-road public trial with a trained chaperone as part of future stages.
While the private sector is developing driverless cars, one
of the roles of government is to ensure that it is undertaken safely. The
future benefits of driverless vehicles include increased efficiency, safety and
reduced costs in road transportation.
There are also job creation opportunities attached to the
autonomous vehicle industry.
The State Government continues to actively work with the
private sector to enable a number of automated vehicle trials including the
RAC's staged trial of a driverless, fully electric shuttle bus on Perth roads
and Curtin University's trial automated bus on campus.
Transport Minister Hon Rita Saffioti said, “It is important
that our State is provided with a safe, cost efficient and accessible mode of
commuter transport.
I am very proud that Western Australia is leading the way
with Perth being one of only three cities worldwide trialling these vehicles.
We will work closely with RAC and NAVYA to ensure the trial
is a success, with the safety of the public being of the highest priority.”
Earlier this month, La Trobe University launched Victoria’s
first driverless shuttle bus trial, which will run until July 2018,
examining all aspects of safety, operations, passenger experience and
integration.
