NTU partners SMRT and 2getthere to test autonomous vehicles

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), SMRT Services and 2getthere have joined forces to deploy fully automated Group Rapid Transit (GRT) autonomous vehicles (AV) on the NTU Smart Campus by 2019.

The new GRTs will be tested on NTU's campus in a few phases, which will start around the last quarter this year. The vehicles are expected to operate a service route that connects NTU's halls of residences with the main academic areas.

The mini bus can carry about 24 people at a time - is expected to travel a 500m route connecting student halls with the main academic areas, ferrying up to 300 passengers a day a top speed of 40 kilometers per hour. The silent roadster uses magnetic pellets on the road for autonomous navigation and can travel in both directions.

The trial would be gradually expanded campus-wide, running alongside other autonomous vehicles that have already been undergoing tests since 2012. This latest testbedding of autonomous vehicles is part of the university's Smart Campus initiative to develop rapidly advancing transport technologies to benefit the NTU community and society.