City of Montreal’s New Call for Tenders
To plan and operate automated shuttles in urban areas
The City of Montreal recently issued a public call for tenders for a pilot project that would see automated shuttles operating on public roads in Montreal. The initiative is being made possible through a $5 million grant from Quebec’s Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l’Habitation as part of the province’s Sustainable Mobility Policy. The city’s goal with the pilot project is to assess how best to integrate the new service into its transportation offer.
Propulsion Québec applauds the City of Montreal’s drive and willingness to implement pilot projects. Through these types of initiatives all across the province, Quebec can demonstrate its leadership in smart transportation on the international scene. Such projects are now possible as a result of the Government of Quebec’s April 2018 update to the Highway Safety Code. Propulsion Québec took part in the consultations and discussions that led to those changes.
The City of Montreal is thus seeking to launch a pilot project for automated shuttles on public roads in urban areas in 2019–2020. In addition to the pilot project, the city wishes to conduct tests in a closed environment to see how the shuttle performs outside its comfort zone. The route will be two to six kilometers long and will be chosen after the contract has been awarded. It should be noted that bidders do not have to submit route proposals in their tender packages. The city will be responsible for establishing the shuttle route(s) and will also assume the costs of adapting its infrastructure to accommodate the shuttles.
This call for tenders is intended for operators, shuttle suppliers, and any other organization that can purchase or rent automated shuttles for an extended period (12 months or more). The organization selected for the pilot project will be required to deliver transit services, transporting passengers free of charge for the duration of the pilot project. The minimum service conditions and mandatory shuttle characteristics are indicated in the technical specifications of the call for tenders.
The submission deadline is February 28, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. All official calls for tenders information and documents (French only) are available on the SEAO website (the government of Québec’s electronic tendering system):