The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Bid Committee is hailing the Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP), one of its 17 sponsors, for the launch of the first electric, driverless buses to take to the streets of Paris.
Working in collaboration with Syndicat des transports d'Île-de-France (STIF) and the city of Paris, RATP began tests on two 100% electric, driverless buses, representing a world first in terms of public transport. The buses, which will be made available to fans, athletes and the Olympic family in 2024 were developed by the French start-up Easymile and will initially run along the banks of the River Seine.
The initiative is part of a wider innovation policy by RATP, and reflects Paris 2024’s vision to deliver the most sustainable Games ever, slashing carbon emissions to less than half of those in London 2012 and Rio 2016. Paris 2024 will be the first Games aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement, signed by 194 countries at the Paris Conference on Climate (COP 21). A Paris 2024 promise is that 100% of spectators will travel by public transport during the event, drastically reducing their total carbon footprint for the Games.
This builds on a strong year for the city of Paris, which has further established itself as a global leader in environmental initiatives and in the fight against climate change. In 2016, Paris was chosen among 125 cities to be the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Global Earth Hour City for its leading role on climate action. In addition, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo was elected President of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, a network to create sustainable and liveable cities for citizens. In December, Paris also picked up a prestigious C40 Cities Award, recognising it as one of the world’s most inspiring and innovative cities tackling climate change.
More recently, organisers of all major sporting events in France signed a charter on sustainability with Paris 2024 and WWF France.
Elisabeth Borne, President and CEO of RATP, said:
"RATP aims to offer innovative and sustainable urban mobility solutions tailored to each region. RATP wants to be present throughout the entire travel experience in order to encourage the use of public transport. The program of experiments we are implementing in driverless vehicles is part of this thinking."
Tony Estanguet, Co-Chairman of the Paris 2024 Committee, added:
"By offering 100% electric, driverless transport, we are helping keep emissions to a minimum and ensuring we fulfil our promise of delivering the most sustainable Games in history. Our vision for a compact, sustainable, city-centre Olympic and Paralympic Games has innovative and efficient transport at its heart, and this new scheme from RATP is set to reinforce our ideas and vision."
Valérie Pécresse, President of STIF and of the Île-de-France region, said:
"Testing, integrating and developing innovations that benefit the people of Paris and its region are one of the key missions of the ‘transport revolution’ I have been pursuing for the past year in the region. The data, which will be collected during the tests of these autonomous buses and other innovations that we will launch this year, will participate in the construction of the first Smart region in the world. For the next 15 years, Île-de-France will benefit from the most massive investment plan in Europe to modernise public transport. I am convinced this will strengthen its attractiveness and reduce territorial fractures."
Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, added:
"Paris is a city committed to addressing climate change. This implies having attractive public transport for residents and visitors. The Metro network of Paris is already ranked the best in the world by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (New-York). But Paris must also contribute to inventing the transport of the future, and invests 381 million euros per year for this. The introduction of autonomous electric shuttles, which has just begun in Paris, shows what public transport will be in Paris in 2024 : based on new technologies, even more efficient, fast, regular, accessible to all publics and respectful of the environment."
For more information,please contact:
Raphaël Leclerc
Paris 2024 Bid Committee
Email: rleclerc@paris2024.org
Phone: +33 6 73 16 88 06
Sujit Jasani
VERO Communications
Email: sjasani@verocom.co.uk
Phone: +44 (0)207 812 6589 / +44 (0)7940 375 282
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