PASADENA, CA, July 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- COAST Autonomous (“COAST”) announced today that it has been selected by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (“BCDA”) to provide autonomous vehicle (“AV”) service in New Clark City during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
A fleet of electric COAST P-1 Self-Driving Shuttles will showcase the future of urban transportation running a service between the athletes’ village, aquatic center and athletics stadium in New Clark City. The Southeast Asian Games (“SEA Games”) is a biennial event with approximately 8,750 athletes from 11 countries, participating in 57 sports and targeting more than 500 million viewers. The Philippines are hosting the 30th SEA Games from November 30th to December 11th, 2019 in multiple venues around the country. The SEA Games will be the first major international sporting event to offer an AV service to its athletes.
Each P-1 shuttle has a capacity of up to 20 passengers (depending upon the seating configuration) and can operate safely in pedestrian areas, in mixed traffic or on a dedicated lane. Designed as a first and last mile mobility solution, the P-1 shuttle is ideal working as a connector between venues or to existing public transportation. However, fleets of P-1 shuttles operating on a dedicated lane, can travel further at higher speeds (up to 50mph) and provide a flexible, low cost alternative to Light Rail.
“Cities must be for people. Hosting the SEA Games at New Clark City is an opportunity to showcase our vision of a modern, smart and green metropolis,” said Vivencio Dizon, President & CEO of BCDA. “Part of this vision is to adopt new modes that can complement our existing transportation and provide the best living and working environment for our people. We are excited to work with COAST Autonomous to provide a unique self-driving service for the athletes and an opportunity for the public to sample the next generation of urban mobility. Traffic problems are well documented in the region, and we believe that these are the types of vehicles that can begin to turn the tide, remove congestion and give cities back to the people. We are looking forward to testing the COAST P-1 self-driving shuttle at the games and will use this as a proof of concept for larger deployments at New Clark City and beyond.”
“BCDA and COAST share the same vision for the future: cities must be made more liveable by removing traffic and connecting people with clean mobility options that put pedestrians first,” said David Hickey, Chairman and CEO of COAST Autonomous. “It is a great honor to partner with BCDA and the Philippines to deploy a fleet of COAST P-1 Shuttles to New Clark City for the SEA Games and we are grateful for this incredible opportunity. The SEA Games is the perfect event and New Clark City the ideal location to showcase the future of urban transportation. The Philippines once had a robust electric streetcar system that carried 35 million passengers and was the envy of Asia. Shared, electric self-driving shuttles are the natural successors to the streetcar and can form the backbone of a new, clean and more efficient streetcar system. The technology is now available to build a clean and smart “people first” system that the Philippines mastered almost 100 years ago.”
About BCDA and New Clark City:
The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) transforms former military bases and properties into premier centers of economic growth in partnership with the private sector. BCDA is one of the key agencies driving “Build Build Build,” the national government’s most ambitious infrastructure plan in Philippine history. This infrastructure plan hopes to provide bold solutions that will reduce congestion, create jobs and alleviate costs in the Philippines.
BCDA is positioning Clark as the next investment center in Asia through high-impact projects such as the New Clark City—a new metropolis that is smart, green, resilient and truly inclusive and the expansion of the Clark International Airport. Among its other big-ticket projects are the Subic-Clark Cargo Railway and the BGC-NAIA Bus Rapid Transit.
About COAST Autonomous
COAST Autonomous is a software and technology company focused on delivering AV solutions at appropriate speeds for urban and campus environments. COAST’s mission is to build community by connecting people with mobility solutions that put pedestrians first and give cities back to people. At the center of one of the fastest and most profound disruptions to impact the transportation and logistics industries, COAST has developed the full stack of Autonomous Vehicle (AV) software that includes mapping and localization, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), fleet management and supervision systems. Partnering with proven manufacturers, COAST can provide a variety of vehicles equipped with its best-in-class software to offer Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) solutions to cities, theme parks, campuses, airports, and other urban environments. Based in Pasadena, California, COAST’s team is recognized for its experience and expertise in all aspects of implementing and operating AV fleets while prioritizing safety and the user experience. To learn how COAST Autonomous can help you power autonomous transportation in your environment, please visit www.coastautonomous.com.
Attachment