The future of transportation is as close as Vancouver and Surrey this month when the cities host demonstrations of a driverless shuttle.

The demos of autonomous electric vehicles are part of the municipalities' bid to win $50 million in the federal government's Smart Cities Challenge.

Vancouver and Surrey joined forces to compete for the prize offered by Infrastructure Canada to the community that most improves the lives of its residents through innovation, data and technology.

Demonstrations began February 1 at the Surrey Civic Plaza in Surrey and will commence February 23 at the Olympic Village SkyTrain station in Vancouver.

Vancouver's chief technology officer, Jessie Adcock, says the driverless shuttle is one of the most exciting components of the two cities' joint bid for the jackpot.

"It's pretty exciting times that this type of technology is actually available for us to bring to town for a bit of a demonstration."

Participants will board a shuttle where an operator will walk them through how the vehicle works before leaving on a pre-programmed route.

The EZ10 driverless shuttle is already being used in several countries around the world. The fully-electric vehicle can hold up to 12 passengers and will travel at a speed of about 12 km/h during the demonstration, although it have a maximum speed of 40 km/h.

The shuttle will be separated from traffic to ensure safety.

Final bid focused on mobility

Mobility was one of the main issues raised by residents when Vancouver and Surrey launched the Smarter Together crowd-sourcing project last year. Adcock says the joint bid focuses on the "last mile" — the concept of moving people from transit stops to their final destination.

Sean Simpson, Adcock's counterpart in Surrey, says the common challenge presented a unique opportunity.

"Vancouver provides the urban context where we provide a suburban context and really by coming together we believe that we are smarter together."

Residents weigh in during a Smarter Together event. (City of Vancouver)

If Vancouver and Surrey win the top prize, Canada's first corridors using autonomous vehicles could be built in the Lower Mainland.

Adcock and Simpson are currently in the process of putting together the final bid due on March 5.

Vancouver-Surrey, Waterloo, Quebec City, Edmonton and Montreal were all shortlisted for the $50-million cash prize in June.

The City of Richmond and Greater Victoria are B.C. finalists in a separate $10-million category in the Smart City Challenge .

The winning cities will be announced this spring.



