ParkShuttle

Parkshuttle
Parkshuttle II vehicle outside Kralingse Zoom station during testing in 2005
Overview
OwnerRotterdam-The Hague metropolitan area
LocaleRotterdam
Termini
Stations5
Service
TypePeople Mover, self-driving bus
Services1
Operator(s)Connexxion
Rolling stock6
Daily ridership1,200 (2018)
History
Opened1999
Technical
Line length1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi)
Number of tracks2 lanes (except bridge over N210 and underpass below A16, single lane)
Operating speed32 kilometres per hour (20 mph)
Route map

to Voorschoterlaan
Kralingse Zoom
to Capelsebrug
A16/E19
Fascinatio Boulevard
Fascinatio
Fascinatio Boulevard
N210
Rivium Westlaan
Rivium, 1st street
Rivium, 1st street
Rivium, 2nd street
Rivium, 4th street

The ParkShuttle is an electrically-driven, autonomous shuttle service that runs between Kralingse Zoom metro station in Rotterdam to the Rivium business park in Capelle aan den IJssel. The system first opened 1999 and has been extended since. It has three stops in Rivium (at the 4th, 2nd and 1st streets), a stop Fascinatio (serving the residential area in Capelle aan den IJssel and the Brainpark III business park) and finally at Kralingse Zoom metro station. In 2022 six vehicles of the third generation entered service.

Parkshuttle is owned by the Rotterdam-The Hague metropolitan area (MRDH) and operated by the Connexxion bus company. The route lies on its own right-of-way, but it does have level crossings with cars, cyclists and pedestrians. It is double-lane throughout except for a bridge over the N210 "Abraham van Rijckevorselweg" highway and an underpass below the A16 motorway to connect to the railway station.

On weekdays, the Shuttle runs between 06:00 and 21:00. During rush hour a shuttle runs every 2.5 minutes. Outside rush hours, the shuttle runs on demand with passengers pressing a button at the station to summon a vehicle.[1]

In 2018 it was unique as the only operational automated road vehicle in Europe in permanent (revenue generating) service.[2] Since 2015 a number of similar shared autonomous vehicle systems have been developed and trialed in routes shared with other vehicles or pedestrians. The ParkShuttle was trialed in 2019 at both Brussels Airport[3] and at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.[4] Some other systems are in operation on private roads (such as around factories). As of 2021 some revenue systems are being trialed.

  1. ^ "Park shuttle". Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Driverless electric vehicles at Businesspark Rivium near Rotterdam (the Netherlands): from operation on dedicated track since 2005 to public roads in 2020". Conference: EVS31At: Kobe, Japan: 7. October 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Self-driving people mover makes its maiden trip at brussels airport". 13 May 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  4. ^ "NTU Singapore to test autonomous vehicles on the NTU Smart Campus". Retrieved 28 June 2021.