Four groups were selected to carry out tests of operating autonomous buses within the framework of the national project for autonomous public transportation

Metropolin, Egged, Dan and Netiv Express (each separately) will cooperate with start-up companies and international transportation companies to operate pilots of autonomous buses, first as part of an experiment and following that a license to operate in areas to be determined

The Ministry of Transportation, the National Public Transportation Authority, the Innovation Authority and the Ayalon Routes Company announced yesterday (Sunday) four groups that will conduct experiments in operating autonomous buses in Israel.

In the coming months, the winning groups are expected to begin trial programs for operating autonomous buses that will last for about two years, and upon completion of the programs, the public transportation operators are expected to operate the autonomous service lines commercially. About NIS 61 million will be invested in the demonstrations that will be carried out as part of the Calling Voice, about half of which is from the state budget.

The winning teams are:

1. Metropolitan Company, Company BG Motors, A company Karsan (Turkey), company Adastec (Michigan, USA), company Applied Autonomy (Norway) and company Ottopia (Israel) - The Metropolitan Company is one of the largest public transport operators in Israel. The group has extensive experience in all phases of the pilot, starting with the delivery of the autonomous vehicle, equipping it with an autonomous suit, its license, and its ongoing operation. The technology companies that are members of the group have experience in piloting autonomous public transportation around the world, including in Michigan, the USA, and Norway.

• Egged and a leading French technology company - The Egged company, the largest public transportation operator in Israel and one of the largest operators in the world, has harnessed all the knowledge and experience it has gained over its decades of activity, in order to formulate a complete and holistic solution for the operation of autonomous public transportation. The group has significant capabilities to deal with the challenges of operating an autonomous bus, including technological capabilities, economic and commercial capabilities, since the tool offered by the technology company operates in a variety of scenarios in over 20 different countries.

• Dan company, company With (Israel), a company EasyMile (France), company Enigmatos (Israel) And the company Ottopia (Israel) – The Dan company is an old company and one of the leaders in Israel in the field of public transportation with a technological orientation and promoting innovation through the companies Bubble Dan and Via. The Easy Mile technology company that will provide the autonomous transportation vehicle has proven global experience in operating autonomous minibus services in urban areas.

• Nativ Express and Co Imagery (Israel) – The Nativ Express company from the Afifi Group has extensive and proven experience in operating public transportation services. Imagry is an Israeli start-up company that develops a software platform for autonomous driving, intended for use in a wide variety of applications and markets. The company operates a number of different projects around the world and even recently won funding from the Innovation Authority for an innovative pilot to operate an autonomous shuttle without a driver at Sheba Hospital.

As part of the pilot, the winning groups will operate an independent public transportation service on public roads, including passenger transportation, within the framework of the license granted to them by the National Authority for Public Transportation at the Ministry of Transportation. This, after they will perform a series of experiments in the experimental field and in operational areas and reach operational and safety technological feasibility.

This is a two-phase project whose purpose is to examine the feasibility of integrating autonomous vehicles into the public transportation system in Israel. The project includes an examination of various operating models and their economic and operational efficiency, and connects public transportation operators with innovative technology companies in Israel and around the world. The project will also increase the public's familiarity with autonomous vehicles and their characteristics: safety, driving experience and environmental benefits.

The expected benefits from the project are aimed at dealing with one of the biggest challenges facing the State of Israel - road congestion - by streamlining the public transportation system, improving service and passenger experience, and improving the level of safety. Also, the project is expected to help the state and the transportation industry deal with the problem of manpower and the severe lack of drivers, by switching to fleets of autonomous buses without a safety driver (SAE J3016 L4) within a few years.

Through the project, it will also be possible to map the infrastructure needed to operate an autonomous public transportation system, and to examine the business organization capacity of public transportation operators, with the intention that companies that successfully pass the pilot will be able to continue and expand the operation of autonomous public transportation services to the public on the service lines in Israel.

In the first phase of the project, the winning companies will conduct tests on autonomous buses in a closed test area and in operational areas, with the aim of proving technological, safety, regulatory and business feasibility. In the second phase of the project, the companies will operate an autonomous service line on public roads in a scope that will increase during the pilot program, which is about two years long.

The project's pilot program is among the leading and unique in the world (compared to its equivalents in Michigan, USA, Scotland and Germany), as it combines several bus operators and various technology companies and it will be held at different and varied sites for a long time, until the technology is implemented on a commercial scale.

Corporations that did not receive an investment or did not submit an application as part of the Calling Voice can participate in a self-financed project, subject to their compliance with all the conditions specified in the Calling Voice and the appendix to the Calling Voice. For inquiries on the subject, you can send an email to the management of the National Project for Autonomous Public Transportation at the address: APTI@innovationisrael.org.il.

Ran Shadami, Director of the National Authority for Public Transportation: "We are happy about the impressive response of public transportation operators who submitted a proposal as part of the call that we distributed jointly with our partners at the Innovation Authority and Ayalon routes. We chose the 4 most mature proposals and we are happy to be among the first in the world to connect the technology of the autonomous vehicle and public transportation. We still have a long way to go, but we have no doubt that the project has potential to improve the service and passenger experience in public transportation and to improve the level of safety. Also, the project is expected to help the state and the transportation industry deal with the manpower problem and the severe shortage of drivers. We will continue to focus on these issues both within this project and in our daily work."

Dr. Ami Appleboom, Chairman of the Innovation Authority: "In the emerging era of software-driven mobility, Israel has acquired a leading and unique position in the field of smart and autonomous mobility. The number of Israeli start-ups in the field of smart transportation increased from 400 in 2016 to more than 600 in 2020. The most significant growth was in the number of start-ups established in the field of autonomous vehicles with an average annual growth of 26% during this period. Also, since 2008, over 20 of the world's largest car manufacturers and their suppliers have opened development centers in Israel, including GM, Honda, Volkswagen, Ford and more. The field also generates significant business activity as companies in the field raised about a billion dollars in 2021. The Innovation Authority and its partners in the private and government sectors are committed to identifying market, technological and operational opportunities to achieve the required growth in the number of users and the scope of smart mobility services in Israel. With the creation of an advanced regulatory infrastructure that allows the operation of an autonomous vehicle without a driver, and following the winning of four excellent groups as part of the Calling Voice, the State of Israel harnesses the autonomous vehicle to improve the public transportation system in Israel, which in turn will make Israel a leader in experiments in autonomous public transportation and allow Israeli companies to become players leading international companies in the field."

More of the topic in Hayadan:

• The clean transportation plan: by 2025 all new buses will be electric, and then the rest of the vehicles
• The smart bus is on its way to you
• Go to the ant, transport expert, see its ways and be wise. Impressions from the smart transportation conference at Afka College
• Research at the Technion: public transportation on Shabbat prevents the use of a private vehicle the rest of the week