Yes, you heard right! Driverless shuttles will soon be accessible right here in the Province of Alberta. At this very moment, the staff at Can-Traffic Services Ltd are working together with various institutions within the Province to help adapt, create and mobilize one of the first automated transportation systems in Canada. This however, is not Can-Traffic’s first encounter with technologies such as these. A few years back Can-Traffic installed a system known as Active-Aurora. This project, again a first for Canada, provided a network for connected vehicle technology. We touched on this in a former article in our blog page called Smart Signals. The project gave researchers a test bed to cooperatively analyze years worth of collected data to improve traffic safety and efficiency for those within the monitored corridors.
For the time being, the automated shuttle system is set to be on a closed circuit course and be operational summer 2019. 
The vehicle will operate in its own dedicated lane to further reduce the potential for incidents while the program is monitored. Each unit is equipped with a state of the art GPS system with the ability to monitor real time information on location, speed, schedule, passengers, and arrival times. At present, the shuttle operates at speeds not exceeding 12km an hour with a max capacity of 12 passengers. To further enhance the customers experience PWT (Pacific Western Transportation) integrated an App developed by Southland Transportation. MyBusRoute, as it is known, delivers real-time information on a subscriber’s bus location, stops, route traffic, schedules, route progress, and possible delays. To find out more about the shuttle itself, goals, partners, and technology you can visit www.ridewithela.ca. Stay tuned to this blog to keep updated on our progress with this project and don’t forget to join the discussion on Facebook. To read more articles like this click here.
