Self-driving vehicles operating for the first time on urban public roads in Quebec

Montreal's Olympic Stadium Automated Electric Shuttle Pilot Project

As part of a pilot project, driverless shuttles began operating in Montreal for the first time in an urban setting in Quebec. The shuttles, which can accommodate up to 12 people, ran along the 2.6-km route between Montreal’s Maisonneuve Market and the Olympic Stadium. The autonomous vehicles stop at all intersections and are able to detect obstacles using GPS, cameras, and LIDAR.

For this innovative project, Stantec provided the City of Montreal with technical assistance on intelligent transportation systems (ITS). The team performed all engineering work required to make the shuttle service safe and standard-compliant, including route analysis and optimization, design validation for vehicle-infrastructure communication, and installation of temporary traffic lights.

The shuttles are the first self-driving vehicles on urban public roads in Quebec. The pilot project will help the City of Montreal in its planning and enable it to determine the autonomous vehicles’ potential for sustainable public transit in Montreal.