Autonomous buses and minibuses

The pilot project for autonomous buses and minibuses, authorized by order of the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility on August 10, 2018, aims to allow autonomous buses and minibuses to be operated on certain public roads in Québec on a trial basis.

A number of autonomous bus and minibus test projects were carried out as part of this pilot project. These test projects served to assess:

• the operation on Québec’s public roads of autonomous buses and minibuses with a driving automation level of 3, 4 or 5, as defined by technical standard SAE J3016 (Society of Automotive Engineers [SAE] Classification) (PDF, 95.9 KB)⁠.
• road sharing between autonomous buses and minibuses and other road users (pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, etc.)
• the regulatory amendments that would be required over the coming years in order to allow these vehicles to be safely operated on Québec’s road network

Test project committee members from the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable (MTMD) and the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) monitor and evaluate each project from the standpoint of their respective spheres of authority.

Test projects

Candiac

The first test project carried out as part of the pilot project for autonomous buses and minibuses in Québec took place in Candiac and was implemented by Keolis Canada. The autonomous minibus, manufactured by Navya, operated along Boulevard Montcalm Nord, between Rue de Verre and Boulevard Marie-Victorin, which represents a round trip of approximately 2 km.

The minibus operated at a low speed, had a seating capacity of 11, and could take on up to 15 passengers. It took 9 to 10 minutes to ride the complete route. This project ended on December 31, 2019.

Montréal

During the summer of 2019, Transdev, in partnership with the city of Montréal and the manufacturer EasyMile, implemented two autonomous shuttles on a route with a round-trip distance of 2.8 km. The route connected the Olympic Park and the Maisonneuve Market.

The vehicles operated at an average speed of 13 km/h and made the trip in about 10 minutes. Service was free and offered from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Sunday. The project ended on August 4, 2019. 

Montréal

In 2021 and 2022, autonomous minibus testing was held in Montréal’s Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie borough involving two shuttle buses from the French manufacturer, Navya, and operated by Keolis Canada. 

This two-phase project was administered by the city of Montréal. The first test phase was conducted from October 28 to December 10, 2021, and the second from July 27 to September 1, 2022.

The minibuses operated on a 2 km loop formed by Saint-Hubert, Saint-André, Jean-Talon Est and Beaubien Est streets. Shuttle service was free and offered from Wednesday to Sunday. The project ended on September 1, 2022.