Robot Taxis for Europe

European cities are plagued with problems from too many cars and trucks cloggging their narrow streets. The crowd of vehicles causes pollution, excess noise, loss of life and overall reduction in the quality of life.

So how do you get rid of all the cars in cities? Get rid of the drivers, of course.
Public mass transportation can help some, but it only goes so far in reducing the problem. Many people still have the need to keep a personal vehicle.

The EU will address the problem of personal vehicles by launching their CityMobil project.
CityMobil is a The €40 million project involving 28 partners in 10 countries. They will construct and operate three operating robot transportation systems - London's Heathrow airport, the new exhibition centre in Rome and the town of Castellón in eastern Spain.

The systems will operate on-demand like taxis but will not have drivers. The idea is that this type of public transportation will be a middle ground between the
restrictions of mass transit and the excesses of individual cars. They are designed to operate within existing roads and infrastructue.

The pupose of the CityMobil projects will be to find the obstacles to full-scale implementation of driverless systems. Other projects will also be proposed as opportunities arise.

The idea of robot taxis is not brand new for Europe. CityMobil is an expansion of the CyberMove and Cybercars projects that date back to 2001.


CityMobil - Towards advanced road transport for the urban environment