CityMobil2 Pilot

The CityMobil2 project was developed by ICCS (research institute) that consisted of a circular line within the city center of Trikala. The shuttle followed a fixed route with eight coordinated based stops and arrived on a frequency base. Along its route it encountered mixed traffic on public streets and pedestrians crossing. The vehicle is wheelchair accessible.

The demo had several objectives: introduce AVs within the city’s transport network and familiarise the local population with the AVs, test the technology robustness in a large scale scenario, decouple specific roads in the city center from heavy traffic and pave the way to the integration of softer mobility schemes in the city. It was also a way to test the certification process within the new (at that time) law.

The budget for the demo was €900,000. It was financed by CityMobil2 and by the Prefecture of Thessaly.

Regulations in Trikala concerning AVs include having dedicated lanes for the AVs, respecting speed limits and having a remote control center.

The challenges the demo faced include: integrating the AVs in mixed traffic mode with limited segregation; implementing the new legal framework for vehicle homologation for the first time in Greece and performing remote emergency breaks.

By the end of the trial, 12,138 passengers had been transported with an average of 120 people per day. The shuttle travelled a total of 3,580 km (25km on average per day) on an average operational speed of 20km/h. The customer satisfaction was rated at 4.3 out of 5 for usefulness and the overall service was rated at 3.6 out of 5. The vehicle was considered reliable except when there were heavy rains. There was one incident during the demo: the vehicle left its course and climbed on a pavement for 5 centimeters before stopping.

Public acceptance research and behavioral patterns towards AVs were associated researches to the pilot.