The Autonomous Bus of Line 393

The RATP autonomous bus has entered a new phase of testing by carrying passengers onboard.

Île-de-France Mobilités and RATP have taken a new step by operating for the first time on the national territory an autonomous bus, with passengers, on a conventional bus line.

The goal of this experimentation has a dual perspective:

• The first is to gradually integrate autonomy into a high-service level line, to reinvent everyday mobility through a bus
• The second is to deepen RATP’s expertise on autonomy issues, notably addressing the coexistence of an autonomous vehicle within a traditional operation

The 12-meter-long vehicle is 100% electric, and can carry up to 17 passengers (seated) on line 393, in the presence of a safety driver. This driver’s role is to ensure passenger safety at all times. This final phase of experimentation follows numerous successful tests conducted in recent months: first at night and without passengers, then during the day, still without passengers, but now integrated into a conventional bus line: line 393.

As a reminder, line 393 is located in the inner suburbs and includes 20 stops over 12 km, with a total travel time of about 30 minutes. It operates from Monday to Sunday between 4:45 am (6:15 am on Sundays and public holidays) and 1:25 am (2:20 am on Fridays, Saturdays, and eves of holidays), from “Sucy-Bonneuil” to its terminus “Carrefour de la Résistance,” located in the commune of Thiais. The autonomous bus, however, only runs between the Sucy-Bonneuil and Créteil Pointe du Lac stops, Monday to Friday from 9 am to 3 pm, in order not to disturb the usual service, which it complements during peak hours. 
 

In the same spirit of innovation, a second autonomous vehicle experiment was launched on September 18, still with passengers: the inter-station shuttle. This shuttle will demonstrate autonomous mode in a very urban environment, connecting Gare de Lyon, Bercy Hub, and Austerlitz Station.

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