Earlier this year, Ohmio supplied two self-driving buses to provide airside transport services, stopping at several points close to facilities used by cleaning and ground handling companies.
The trial received positive feedback with 89% of users saying they would use the service again.
Phase two will be more complex as it will collect KLM Cityhopper crew members from Apron A, where the airline’s aircraft are parked before departure and on arrival at Schiphol, then drop flight crew members off at the terminal.
The second phase will be more complex because will take place on the apron where it will have to navigate obstacles such as aircraft arriving and departing, aircraft handling operations and transporting crew.
The bus is equipped with sensors and special cameras and makes use of GPS to manoeuvre.
LiDAR technology gives the bus a 360 degree view, which allows it to detect and move around objects located up to 30 metres away.
Jan Zekveld, Head of Innovation at Royal Schiphol Group, said: “We’re curious about the insights we’ll gain at this location, particularly because punctuality and safety is crucial on this route. We’re also curious how airline crew members experience self-driving transport. This will help to build trust in the technology and potentially facilitates future integration of other self-driving vehicles.”
Maarten Koopmans, Managing Director of KLM Cityhopper, said: “I’m very enthusiastic about this trial and think it’s great that our crew can test this innovative, self-driving bus. KLC has always set the trend in implementing the latest technologies and this innovation also fits in perfectly with KLM’s aim to achieve emission-free ground handling by 2030.”
