Belle-Idée Estate

vehicles homologated for 25 km/h

Background:

The Geneva Public Transport network, operated by Transports Publics Genevois (TPG), is an interconnected system of trams, buses, trolleys and mouettes (transport boats)in the canton of Geneva. The whole system is fully integrated and is composed of 33 km of tramways, 30 km of trolleybus and 360 km of buses.

Due to the population growth in the canton of Geneva, new sub-urban residential and economic activities areas have appeared, as well as areas with relatively low population density with reduced services or no service offer, in many of them. The decentralisation of economic activities has increased (new) needs for urban passenger and logistics transport.

The target of the Geneva site is to integrate automated on-demand vehicles with the existing public transport services. At the Belle-Idée Estate, located close to the French border and which consists of a 38 acres area, different facilities including a hospital, kindergarten, conference center, and restaurants. To better connect these facilities, this deployment site will see three automated vehicles providing a 100% on-demand and electric services to passengers. There will be no fixed routes and no timetables; passengers can book and tailor their ride via a dedicated application. 

The innovative feature is the simultaneous and complete integration of key elements of future public transportation which can be scaled up and rolled out in other areas and cities:

• Vehicles capable of self-driving on 99% of all public routes on the estate
• 100% automated, on-demand and electric vehicles
• Door-2-door
• Dynamic routing
• Ride pooling
• No timetable
• No fixed routes
• 5 TPG bus stop hubs
• 70 virtual stop points
• Supervision @ distance 
• Full Automated AV depot entrance/exit 

The only human interaction within the 100% automated system is the client who uses the application to book a vehicle.