Integration of Autonomous Buses in Service Lines in Israel – Call for Proposals

Preferred fields of operation:

The trials program for operating public transport service lines with autonomous buses will enable the winning corporations to use public roads subject to the law and subject to receiving the requisite approvals under the law, including but not limited to being licensed to transport passengers. The program in the long run is expected to encourage the public to use public transport, reduce the number of motor vehicle accidents, ease transport congestion, reduce the use of petroleum and air pollution from transportation, and to assist in providing a partial solution to a shortage of bus drivers.

Threshold Conditions:

What conditions must the company comply with to submit an application in the CfP?

• The corporation must be registered in Israel.
• The corporation must operate according to the reporting duty, the registration duty, royalties duty, preserving know-how and intellectual property duty as detailed in the Innovation Law (Hebrew), Benefit No. 2 Program and the Program Procedures.
  Clarification: the proprietorship of the new know-how that is developed will belong to the entity submitting the application. Regarding “new know-how”, it is clarified that the winners’ proprietorship in the CfP of the know-how refers to know-how relating to the technological abilities of the autonomous driving system itself (as defined in the Traffic Ordinance) as opposed to information relating to the service oriented and operational aspects concerning the integration of the system in the framework of operating public transport. All the know-how relating to the service oriented and operational aspects which is a product of the initiative will be owned by the Public Transport Authority.
• Clarification: In the case a sub-contractor (partner) will, in the future, be interested in receiving a partnership in the new know-how developed during the course of the pilot, we request that applicants notify the Authority at the time the application is submitted in order to enable this more easily further on.
• The programs must demonstrate the pre-product abilities without significant R&D contents except adjustments to the local market’s needs.

Criteria to evaluate an application:

• The corporation’s abilities with regard to regulatory, technological, operative and funding preparedness to execute the trials and to operate a service line as detailed in the appendix to the CfP, including:
  • The corporation must have a license to operate regular public transport service lines itself or in an engagement with such a licensed corporation.
  • The corporation must have the ability to operate an autonomous bus at an autonomous technological level of at least 4 (pursuant to the SAE J3016 definitions), and provided that it will operate according to the autonomous vehicle definition in the Traffic Ordinance. The autonomous bus will have the ability to transport at least 8 passengers.
  • The corporation must have the ability, or be in an engagement with a corporation that has the ability, to provide autonomous buses/ systems that conform to the standardization and import requirements, enabling the autonomous buses to transport passengers in the amount and time frame detailed in the appendix to the CfP.
  • The corporation must conform to the regulatory aspects detailed in the appendix to the CfP.
• The test run quality – the quality of the test run site and the synergy between the corporation and the site, the benefit the corporation will derive from the test run program as regards time to market and commercialization aspects. The degree of technological innovation and the degree of the uniqueness of the program.
• The challenges level upon realizing the program as detailed in the route procedures.
• The joint bidder corporations’ abilities, including their managerial abilities and their ability to complete the program and its business realization.
• The regulatory preparedness to execute the program, including, but not limited to , the ability to stand in compliance with the regulatory conditions to execute trials on autonomous vehicles in public transport service lines in Israel.
• The efficiency of the operational program of the service lines operator who in the future will operate these autonomous buses (for example the maximum distance the battery will last, recharging time [insofar as referring to electric vehicles], commercial speed of the autonomous bus, ability for passengers to get on and off the bus, ride conditions and payment terms, seating and standing space, parking availability and so forth).
• The expected impact the trial and operational program will have on efficiency and improving public transport in Israel, and in particular reducing congestion, lowering the number of accidents, reducing the use of petroleum in transportation, reducing air pollution, improving social equality, solution to manpower issues and lack of drivers, and encouraging passengers to use public transportation.
• The technological and employment contribution of the program to the Israeli economy, which will be examined, inter alia based on integration of Israeli corporations (in the operational, technology and infrastructure fields) in the test-run program
• The corporation’s business-economic growth potential resulting from the program’s success.
• Impact on creating an ecosystem that is economically profitable while guaranteeing competitiveness in the industry.
• The completeness of the solution.
• The accessibility compliance of the autonomous buses included in the bid for persons with mobility disabilities  in addition to the requirements required under the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (Regulating Accessibility for Public Transportation Services).
• The autonomous bus’s specification compliance for use in the framework of public transport service lines in Israel in addition to that determined in the Traffic Regulations, 5721-1961 (seating, grip, ease of operation, getting on and off, accessibility, safety, payment options for fare as acceptable in Israel, convenience and passenger experience and suchlike).
• Compliance with the issues detailed in the appendix to the CfP.