Winnipeg Airports Authority launched a partnership with WHILL Airport Mobility Service in 2019 to start conducting trials for an autonomous personal mobility device at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport. The initial trial was one of the first to take place in North America. It saw volunteer travellers move from the security screening area to their gate and then, at the press of a button, send the self-driving device back to its docking station. This innovative technology is one of the ways we hope to build our accessibility services and accommodations in the future.
Working in partnership with WHILL, our vision is to offer this autonomous mobility service to travellers the moment they arrive at the airport and help them move from the curb to their flight with greater independence. This technology is still in the early stages of being tested to see how it would operate at the airport to best serve passengers and support accessible travel in the future.
