On the 13th of June, the first autonomous driving shuttle on public roads in Flanders made its debut. The shuttle can transport up to 8 people as well as postal packages. The vehicle – part of our Cargohitching Mechelen Trial – will cover a 2.5-kilometre route on weekdays from Monday the 13th of June to Friday the 12th of August 2022 on the Mechelen Noord industrial estate.

The electric shuttle follows the Schaliënhoevedreef, the Generaal De Wittelaan and the Oudebaan, and completes the loop in around 15 minutes. Employees of the companies along the route can board the vehicle at various stops and use it to get to their workspaces. In addition, companies and private individuals can drop off or pick up postal parcels from bpost in the shuttle. 

“Cargohitching, as it’s called, should avoid extra parcel transport along the route and provide a better service for the customer. You can decide yourself when to collect your package from the vehicle,” says Domien Stubbe, project manager at VIL. “It’s the first time that this is being tested in Belgium. We are optimising the use of autonomous vehicles and making it a viable business case.”

Durable and safe

“The project offers a glimpse of the mobility of the future,” said Mobility Alderman Vicky Vanmarcke. “The technology surrounding self-driving cars and shuttles is evolving very quickly. In several cities abroad, for example, advanced steps have already been taken to allow fully autonomous taxis to drive. We are therefore proud to be able to launch this pilot project in Mechelen. The shuttle offers an innovative, practical and sustainable way of getting around that is accessible to everyone.”

“Our mobility and the way we move around is more important than ever,” says Vanmarcke.

“As a city, we are strongly committed to these new forms of mobility. You can see this in the increasing importance of shared cars or shared scooters, but also in the rapid electrification of private transport. Electric and shared mobility is becoming increasingly important, offering solutions for the traffic congestion on our roads. Due to its size, Mechelen is the ideal laboratory for pilot projects.”

The shuttle itself, produced by the French company EasyMile, is freely accessible to everyone during this test phase. Anyone who wants to can get on and ride along at any stop every working day between 11 am and 6 pm. Via this link, it is possible to follow the shuttle in real-time.

Additional security measures are in force during the testing. For example, in some parts of the business park, there is a parking ban and warning signs are everywhere. There is also still a steward on board to intervene in case of emergency, although this is in principle not necessary.