BCDA President and CEO Vince Dizon said the autonomous or “self-driving” vehicles will be used to provide transportation services for the athletes during this year’s South East Asian Games at no cost to government.Three electric Coast P-1 shuttles are expected to arrive in the country in mid-October for the pilot testing. Each shuttle can accommodate up to 20 passengers and will transport athletes to and from the Athletes’ Village, the Athletics Stadium and the Aquatics Center.
COAST Autonomous Chairman and CEO David Hickey said in a statement that COAST Autonomous will use high-definition, 3D mapping machines for the shuttles’ route. “It is a great honor to partner with BCDA and the Philippines to deploy a fleet of [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,” said Hickey in a previous statement.
Hickey added that electric and self-driving shuttles are “the natural successors to the streetcar” and can be the backbone of a new, clean and more efficient streetcar system. “As the first smart and green city in the Philippines, New Clark City will adopt sustainable alternative modes of transportation that may eventually reduce people’s dependence on cars,” said Dizon. “The city will have better accessibility with streets that are biker and pedestrian-friendly.”