Beaumont is the first city in Canada to integrate a driverless shuttle into mixed traffic and pedestrians.
The electronic autonomous shuttle, ELA, runs north-south for one kilometre along 50 Street in Beaumont next to vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Beaumont contributed $200,000 to the six-month pilot project, in partnership with Pacific Western Transportation (PWT).
“The future is coming and it’s here in Beaumont,” said Mayor John Stewart outside Beaumont City Hall on Thursday.
ELA has a maximum speed of 40 km/h and uses three-dimensional mapping technology to collect data and navigate its surroundings. Unlike the cars it drives alongside, ELA doesn’t have a steering wheel or a brake pedal.