Navya has announced that on June 22, the company launched a level 4 fully autonomous shuttle service, which means there is no safety operator on board the vehicle.

In partnership with Keolis, the service launched at the National Sport Shooting Centre (NSSC) in Châteauroux, France. Since the launch of the service, the shuttle, known as the “Autonom Shuttle Evo,” has been operating within the National Shooting Sport Centre, providing athletes and visitors with a way to move from the car park to the reception area.

The shuttle operates at a maximum speed of 18 kilometers per hour along the 1.5-kilometer route.

“The integration of this level 4 fully autonomous service operated by Keolis is an important step for Navya. We want to demonstrate that we are going to provide a truly autonomous transport service,” says Etienne Hermite, chief executive officer of NAVYA.

“This is the key to deliver on the promise of driverless and the business model associated.”

Navya says that the launch of the service is a “decisive step” towards the development of a transport offering that integrates level 4 fully autonomous vehicles, which corresponds to real autonomy without a safety operator onboard.

The service also marks the first-ever global deployment of the Autonom Shuttle Evo, which comes after six years of experimentation and nearly 200 Navya deployments across the world.

According to Navya, this new version of the Autonom Shuttle Evo incorporates essential improvements to achieve level 4 autonomy, including: “autonomization of functions to offboard the safety operator in a remote supervision center; reinforced and optimized sensor architecture to offer a wider vision and guarantee safety; revised user experience (passenger information banner with visual and audible announcements, optimized access for people with reduced mobility); and enhanced connectivity to remotely monitor vehicle status in real time and ensure secure predictive maintenance.”

The shuttle is capable of operating without a driver in a determined environment and on a predefined route thanks to the continuous improvement of the “Navya Driver” autonomous driving software and the sensor architecture of the Autonom Shuttle Evo. If necessary, an off-board supervision can take control of the vehicle in real time. The presence of other users—pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles—on the site is regulated thanks to secure access and reduced driving speed.

The shuttle will be supervised from a remote control center during later stages of the experiment. It will operate on a route that includes a multi-lane road and intersections with connected traffic lights.