EasyMile has announced that its autonomous vehicle on Karragarra Island in Queensland is the first-ever driverless service to connect with a public ferry terminal.

This announcement comes just months after Australia's Redland City Council and Queensland, Australia's peak motoring body, the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ), announced Karragarra Island on Redlands Coast as the first location in Queensland to test a driverless bus. 

A joint initiative between RACQ and Redland City Council, with the support of Council of Mayors SEQ, the six-month trial is taking place on a 3.8 kilometer fixed loop route, and is coordinating with ferry arrivals where passengers can hop on or off at one of eight bus stops along the route.

“The Karragarra Island trial is a showcase of how autonomous vehicle technology can address public transport challenges, offering a much smoother service to people,” explains EasyMile’s Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, Greg Giraud.

“It is the alternative to private fleets of vehicles as the new mobility solution.”

According to Redland City Mayor Karen Williams, the bus is a “huge step forward.”

“This trial is the first-ever form of public transport for the Karragarra Island community which has some incredibly unique transport challenges that present a need for innovative solutions,” Williams says.