The Hague is one of the first major Dutch cities to have a self-driving minibus. In addition to public transport, visitors and patients of the Haga Hospital can travel the last few hundred meters free of charge from the public transport stop on the Leyweg to the hospital entrance.

The region may have more self-driving electric minibuses. A shuttle without driver is now on trial. The companies behind this experiment, including the HTM, and the client of public transport, the Rotterdam The Hague Metropolitan Area, are investigating where these vans can be a good addition to the tram, bus and metro.

The system still has to do with some teething problems. If something changes on the route that has not yet been scanned, the shuttle automatically brakes and if that happens a few times, the flight attendant must take over control. During the trial at the hospital, we also look at how pedestrians react to the shuttle and whether they get used to the self-driving van after a while.

Within the hospital, an electric shuttle bus also runs back and forth in the rooflight. To bridge the distance between the entrance and the JKZ or the lifts. The self-driving electric minibus with the name 'Haga Shuttle' has been running for four years now. A partnership of the Hague public transport company HTM with Rebel and The Future Mobility Network is using the experience gained to further develop and realize 'last mile' solutions with self-driving minibuses in the Netherlands, HTM reports.

Sustainability and improving the quality of life.

Automated driving minibuses are an opportunity to accelerate the sustainability of world cities and improve the quality of life, the initiators say. These zero-emission vehicles are better for the environment. In addition, they take up less space than cars in crowded cities because more passengers travel in one minivan. People often take the car now because the first and last part of their journey does not connect well with public transport.

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Self-driving minibuses are particularly suitable for bridging short distances, for airports, business locations and hospitals. This also applies to the Haga Hospital, which is therefore closely involved in this initiative. Patients and visitors with walking difficulties will soon have comfortable transport between the public transport stop and the main entrance. They no longer have to walk that far. The minibus is a nice incentive to come to the hospital by public transport, which is easily accessible.

Safety

Self-driving electric minibuses drive in a few places in our country. However, without interaction with other users of the public road and not in a crowded large city such as The Hague. The initiators have therefore asked the National Road Traffic Service (RDW) for permission for the safe transport of passengers with the Haga Shuttle.

The minibus continuously scans the surroundings and drives completely independently at a safe speed of up to 15 kilometers per hour. A supervisor will accompany you for safety and service. They can intervene if necessary and help passengers board and disembark. The parties involved will use travelers' experiences to further develop these types of transport solutions.

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