by Magdalena Szymańska, inspektor, Wydział Gospodarki Komunalnej
The tender for the presentation of an autonomous bus on the show route in Gdańsk was resolved. In the tender, announced as part of the Sohjoa Baltic project, one bid was submitted by Easymille, which met the requirements of the tender.
The city decided to accept the offer of Easymille, a manufacturer of EZ10 automated buses. The amount of the tender is PLN 342 thousand. The net price is PLN 420,660, which, plus VAT, gives the final price of PLN 420,660. The company is to deliver for presentation to Gdansk electric vehicle EZ10 containing min. 9 people and equipped with an obstacle detection system around the vehicle.
The bus presentation scheduled for September will consist of free carriage of passengers along the demonstration route at Karwieńska Street, leading to the Gdańsk Zoological Garden.
– Thanks to Gdańsk’s participation in the international Sohjoa Baltic project, we will have the opportunity to test an innovative vehicle – an autonomous bus – says Piotr Grzelak, Deputy Mayor of Gdańsk for Sustainable Development
– All cities are currently facing challenges in adapting to new forms of transport. An example is electric scooters. In Gdańsk, we promote communication solutions that reduce emissions and service costs, but we also want to be prepared to propose legal changes resulting from the introduction of modern solutions and vehicles.
Presentation of the bus will take place within the framework of the Sohjoa Baltic project co-financed from the Interreg Baltic Sea Region programme, of which 85% of the tender value will be covered by the funds of this programme.
How does an autonomous bus work?
A self-propelled bus moves along a pre-programmed route, scanning its surroundings. The vehicle knows when to slow down and when to stop due to an obstacle.
The vehicle will run on a pre-programmed route, with an operator on board who will answer passengers’ questions if necessary or react in an emergency. The bus will run at least twice an hour from the initial stop at Spacerowa Street, through an intermediate stop at the car park to the final stop at the Gdansk Zoo and back. Easymile’s offer includes a presentation lasting 24 operating days, at least 6 days a week for a minimum of 5 hours a day. The final timetable will be given after approval by the Ordering Party.
Buses manufactured by French company Navya and supplied by Danish company Autonomous Mobility will soon go to Helsinki and Tallinn streets. The Danish city of Vejle and the Latvian region of Semigalia are also planning a presentation on a scale similar to that of Gdańsk.
So far in Gdansk, as part of the project, a demonstration route has been chosen, a temporary traffic organisation project has been developed and an analysis on legal aspects of autonomous mobility has been commissioned. The results of the analysis were presented to the experts during the September nationwide workshops organised as part of the Gdańsk celebrations of the European Mobility Week 2018.
More information about the Sohjoa Baltic project is available in Polish at https://www.sohjoabaltic.eu/pl/