Operation & use
Operation
Operation
KelRide in Operation
The KelRide project addresses two of the biggest hurdles of autonomous driving: the ability of highly automated vehicles to operate safely in all weather conditions and the efficient integration of automated mobility into the public transportation network. As a framework for practical implementation, the mobility solution developed in the KelRide project uses the KEXI on-demand transportation system that already exists in Kelheim.
Since July 2020, two conventional shuttles have been providing demand-based service for 147 stops in the city of Kelheim and to the train station in Saal an der Donau.
By 2023, more conventional and automated vehicles will come to Kelheim.
With KEXI, you can travel flexibly. All users get from A to B comfortably and quickly, without a fixed timetable or route. Customers themselves determine the starting point and destination as well as the time of their trip. KEXI collects ride requests in a ride request time window, such that passengers with similar destinations share a ride together. This puts fewer cars on the road and protects the environment.
On-Demand
The KelRide project is developing an on-demand mobility solution for bundling rides, which will be implemented with a mixed fleet of highly automated and conventional vehicles starting in 2023.
Instead of relying on fixed routes for the deployment of highly automated vehicles, as is currently the case, the technology in use offers improved mapping of user demand through dynamic routing within a network of virtual stops.
This creates a flexible mobility solution that can travel to any point within the area of operation and is not bound by timetables.
An individual ride can be quickly and easily booked, either via app or by phone.
KEXI picks up users from the selected starting stop at the desired time and brings everyone quickly and reliably to the predefined destination.
Overview of the stops
Use
Operational transportation and integration with the Kexi service
The district of Kelheim is breaking new ground when it comes to improving public transportation services. Since March 2020, two highly automated electric minibuses of the type “EasyMile EZ10 Gen 3” have been on the road in the Kelheim district. The autonomous shuttles have been operated in order to fill so-called “first and last mile” gaps. In the future, autonomous vehicles will be integrated into the “KelRide” project.
In addition, people living in Kelheim have been able to use a new form of mobility since July 2020. With KEXI on-demand transportation, the district of Kelheim has been able to significantly upgrade what it offers with respect to public transportation.
Two conventional shuttles have been serving 147 stops in the city of Kelheim and the train station in Saal an der Donau on a demand-based basis since July 2020. Customers can book their ride either in the new KEXI Kelheim app or by phone at 0800 9999800. KEXI is on the road from Monday to Saturday beginning at 6:00 a.m. The already existing on-demand transportation provides the framework for the practical implementation of the “KelRide” project. For the start of the “KelRide” project’s operation, the fleet of conventional KEXI vehicles could be supplemented by another conventional vehicle.
Over the course of the “KelRide” project, the two autonomous vehicles already present in the district will initially be networked with the KEXI on-demand transportation service. During the project, three additional highly automated shuttles will be integrated into operation according to demand. The autonomous vehicles will no longer be operating in demand-based mobility mode for first-to-last mile services.
The KEXI fleet will ultimately be a mixed fleet consisting of three conventional and five autonomous vehicles.
Users will then be offered a ride with either a conventional or an autonomous vehicle in a specific, previously defined operating area when they request a ride.
With the commissioning of a mixed fleet in the designated operating area, the full-scale operation of on-demand transport will begin. Operations with purely conventional vehicles began in July 2021, with the addition of the autonomous shuttles beginning in July 2022.
For more information regarding KEXI on-demand transportation, go to www.kexi.de.