The groundbreaking autonomous and driverless Group Rapid Transit (GRT) system is gaining attention worldwide. During the ARMA press conference organised in Taipei, the French company (7Starlake Consultant) announced that the state-of-the-art GRT system will be introduced in the EcoMobility World Festival 2017 in Kaohsiung. With the rapid development of the city landscape and transportation technology, more opportunities are created to continuously advance the automated GRT system. This intelligent transportation system integrates electric vehicles and on-board with an automatic control technology. On top of that, it is energy-saving; flexible in application and operation; and has low aesthetic impact.
The Director General of Transportation Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government, Mr. Ching-Fu Chen, highlighted the urgency to promote EcoMobility policy in urban development as climate change impacts worsen in cities worldwide. In recent years, Kaohsiung’s EcoMobility policy adopts a low carbon emission policy by reducing carbon emission sources and emission contents in lieu of global climate change agreement. In addition, Kaohsiung will be the host for the Third EcoMobility World Festival 2017, which will be held in October 2017 in the Hamasan area. In preparation, Kaohsiung is actively transforming the urban landscape. The city envisions to diversify its public transport services with low-carbon emission options to create a sustainable transport demonstration zone and reduce dependency on fuel carriers.
In response to this internationally recognized event, 7Starlake Consultant announced that they will introduce its ARMA autonomous public transit shuttle during the Festival. The Transportation Bureau also indicated continuous collaboration with the company to assess suitable operating field, and to facilitate programs to increase public awareness on this ecomobile service.
Mr. Chen expressed anticipation for the transfer of new innovative mobility systems to solve the ever-worsening traffic condition. The Kaohsiung City Council hopes to work with the Transportation Bureau for breakthroughs in the implementation of an autonomous driving system; discussions on related laws and regulations; and potential problems in management – to leapfrog public transport development in Kaohsiung.
