Ride across the campus without a driver

We could have sworn that the profession of elevator operator was gone. At worst, we pictured a bellboy in an elevator in a luxury hotel in Mumbai. Yet, the profession comes back to life in what could become a means of transport as popular as the one inaugurated in New York on 23 March 1857. Since 17 April the EPFL campus is a life-size laboratory for testing autonomous shuttles as part of the European CityMobil2 project. There is no driver but there is a bellboy. Welcome aboard!

Let us be clear: for the moment, the main motivation of the shuttles’ users is curiosity. Passengers can neither go very far nor very fast. The proposed route connects the M1 line stop at the Innovation Park, the Esplanade parking lot, the Rolex Learning Center, the Starling Hotel and the Estudiantines student residence. "It was the only possible route on campus that does not disturb the traffic and which avoids construction sites" explains our groom.

During this first phase of testing, it takes 20 minutes to cover a distance of about 1’500 meters. Unless the passenger leaves the Starling hotel with 3 suitcases in the pouring rain, this formula has only a purely scientific interest. The turns of the itinerary require a safe speed and even during the few tens of meters of straight route the vehicles cannot use all their power: they are limited for security reasons.

Why a bellboy?
The mystery remains: why a bellboy in a driverless bus? In addition to being polite and answering questions, the bellboy is a complement to a developing technology. When leaving each stop, he presses the button to close the doors. This is an essential security gesture, followed by the sounding of a bell and a gentle start. Just like in the good old days! Except for the shuttle’s cutting edge technology. For each identified hazard, the vehicle slows down and sometimes even weeds and daisies unnecessarily activate its corner radars. Passersby also test its reflexes, honed by a radar on the roof. Although the vehicle can go faster, it is not the testers’ current intention. The technology is being tried: so far there are no accidents to report.

Inside the vehicle, it is possible to follow the path, already mapped on a large screen, and see through the eyes of the radars. Small red dots highlight potential obstacles whereas a continuous line marks the trail left by a cyclist. Suddenly the shuttle stops, stubborn as a mule. A large truck stands before it. "It is not yet able to go around obstacles," explains the modern times elevator operator. Without hesitation, he takes the vehicle’s controls and asks the truck’s driver to move his 26 tons. Once the way is open, he returns the controls to the electric vehicle and the journey resumes.

There are between 150 and 200 curious passengers per day using the shuttle for this quick getaway. The same must have happened in the old days when people would use the elevator just "to see how it is." It's fun, entertaining, and innovative. One feels a bit like a pioneer whose grandchildren will say one day: "When Grandma was young buses still needed drivers."

Public transport on demand
Behind its casual appearance, this life test unique in its kind is a step towards the future. "It aims to develop a piece of software that enables to manage a fleet of autonomous vehicles in real time from a control center," said Raphael Gindrat, CEO of the BestMile start-up, collaborating with the project. This promises interesting applications such as in airports, campuses, industrial centers, recreational parks or even for public transport on demand.

Apart from the technology developed by EPFL’s start-up, CityMobil2 is interested in the sociological and legal aspects related to vehicles without drivers. The passengers willing to share their impressions are invited to answer a questionnaire and report their "user experience." By testing the autonomy, responsiveness, speed, security and various other parameters, they will also help to establish a framework for the laws required for public transportation without drivers.