A US regulator orders the stop of the driving school test in Florida

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The National Road Safety Administration announced Monday that it has ordered Transdev North America to immediately stop transporting schoolchildren to Florida on a driverless shuttle because testing could expose them to "inappropriate" risk. ".

Transdev's use of its EZ10 Generation II driverless shuttle in the community of Babcock Ranch in southwestern Florida was "illegal and contrary to the company's temporary import authorization," said the company. NHTSA car security agency Friday in an order.

"Innovation must not be threatened by public safety," Heidi King, Assistant Administrator, said in a statement.

"The use of a non-conforming test vehicle to transport children is irresponsible, inappropriate and in direct violation of the terms of the Transdev approved test project."

In March, NHTSA authorized Transdev to temporarily import the driverless shuttle for testing and demonstration purposes, but not as a school bus.

Late Monday night, the company confirmed that she had voluntarily agreed to stop what she had called a six-week pilot project scheduled a week ago "out of deference to NHTSA".

In a written statement, Transdev stated that the "small pilot operated safely, without any problem, in a highly controlled environment".

The company stated that it believed that the pilot project met the requirements of the NHTSA-approved test and demonstration project to allow adults and children to follow the same route.

He added that he was not sacrificing security for the sake of progress, that he would never, and that he was determined to comply with the regulations.

Transdev North America is a Transdev unit controlled by the French investment fund, Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations.

In a press release issued in August, the company announced that it would operate a school shuttle service starting in the fall with an autonomous vehicle, which it would call first.

Transdev said that the bus of 12 people would be traveling from a designated boarding area with a security guard on board and would be traveling at a top speed of 13 km / h, with the potential to reach the airport. reach a speed of 48 km / h once. additional infrastructure has been completed.

Many low-speed automatic shuttles are being tested in US cities and many more are planned.

NHTSA had previously announced that it was planning to revise the safety rules prohibiting autonomous cars from driving on roads without equipment such as a steering wheel, pedals and mirrors, while the agency is working to advance vehicles without driver.

The agency said it is opposed to proposals to require self-driving technologies "to be pre-approved" before being tested.

NHTSA told Transdev that failure to comply with appropriate measures could result in fines, cancellation of the temporary import authorization or export of the vehicle.

French public service Veolia (VIE.PA) agreed this month to sell its 30% stake in Transdev to the German group Rethmann.