This is a major first in the public transport sector in France: the Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) is launching an experiment with a 100% autonomous bus. It will run on line 393 from Sucy-Bonneuil to Thiais-Carrefour de la Résistance and vice versa. This announcement comes at the start of European Mobility Week, which runs from 16 to 22 September 2021.

The RATP group wants to be a benchmark for autonomous and innovative mobility

RATP presents itself as the world’s third largest public transport operator and aims to be the preferred partner for smart, sustainable and humane cities. Thus, in 2021, several projects will be implemented in the near and distant future to achieve these goals:

• The autonomous shuttle in the Bois de Vincennes: the route was extended to 6km last March.
• The autonomous shuttle of Paris-Rive Gauche: the experiment will start in dry run by the end of the year, in collaboration with the City of Paris and Paris2connect.
• The Saint-Rémy-Lès-Chevreuse autonomous shuttle: four routes will soon be tested, in a dry run, from the Saint-Rémy-Lès-Chevreuse station (RER B).
• The autonomous shuttle for Arval France employees: a transport offer won over by Arval employees, between Rueil-Malmaison station (RER A) and the company’s headquarters.
• The autonomous on-demand shuttle: the experiment will continue until December 2021 with ArchParc, operated by Alpbus, a subsidiary of RATP Dev.
• The autonomous flying vehicle: the RATP group, alongside the ADP group and Choose Paris Region, is preparing the arrival of this new mode of transport. The next step is the inauguration of a dedicated test area in a secure environment at the Pontoise-Cormeilles-en-Vexin airfield by the end of the year.

The experimentation of an autonomous bus in order to transport passengers by the fall of 2022

If all these projects are already established or are intended to be implemented in the near future, an experiment was launched on September 14. Several night tests will be carried out on the 393 bus line from Sucy-Bonneuil to Thiais-Carrefour de la Résistance to check the efficiency of the autonomous buses that could be used on this line.

A safety driver will nevertheless be present in this standard bus of twelve meters in length. The vehicle is made by CRRC and is imported and marketed by Clement-Bayard. It is equipped with five sensors (two lidars, two radars and a camera) and offers eighteen seats. Gradually, tests will be carried out during the day in cohabitation with traditional non-autonomous buses.

Catherine Guillouard, CEO of the RATP group, states:

“The RATP group is a leader in autonomous mobility. The proof is that we are the first French operator, and one of the first in the world, to experiment with a 12-metre long, 100% electric autonomous bus on a conventional bus line. Our know-how is now widely recognised with more than 15 experiments already conducted in France and internationally, and more than 100,000 passengers transported.”

RATP hopes to be able to transport passengers using these autonomous buses in the fall of 2022.

Translated from La RATP lance ses expérimentations de bus 100 % autonome sur une ligne classique du réseau de transports en commun