Photo: Stagecoach
In addition to driverless cars, pods and maybe even trains, we can also expect the future to bring driverless buses. Stagecoach has just announced UK’s first trial with such a vehicle.
For the time being, though, the one-decker will only run in the operator’s depots, The Guardian confirms. It will be able to drive itself to refueling and washing points, and will allow a glimpse into a safer, more efficient bus travel.
Until current legislation changes, the driverless buss from Stagecoach will not go out on public roads. When it does, though, it will “help transform bus travel,” as the operator’s bus engineering director Sam Greer puts it.
Even when it does go out on the road with a driver, the new one-decker will be equipped with a sensor system that will offer warnings of pedestrians and cyclists in blind spots or unexpected proximity, which will further make bus travel safer. The new bus is the result of a partnership between manufacturer Alexander Dennis Limited and technology company Fusion Processing.
This move by a major operator to test a full-size driverless bus could point to a shift in mentality among passengers, the publication notes. Previous research has shown that, while 85% of responders were thrilled by driverless technology, only 46% of them were happy to ride share. Most responders had concerns about using driverless 4 to 6-seat shuttles with strangers, and many weren’t willing to pay premium fare just so they could ride in a vehicle that didn’t have a driver, as opposed to a regular bus fare.
In other words, if Stagecoach is willing to give this a spin, then they must’ve conducted separate research that shows such a move would be profitable. Or else they wouldn’t be even be considering the move, no matter how much they claim it will save them money, space and effort.
Until current legislation changes, the driverless buss from Stagecoach will not go out on public roads. When it does, though, it will “help transform bus travel,” as the operator’s bus engineering director Sam Greer puts it.
Even when it does go out on the road with a driver, the new one-decker will be equipped with a sensor system that will offer warnings of pedestrians and cyclists in blind spots or unexpected proximity, which will further make bus travel safer. The new bus is the result of a partnership between manufacturer Alexander Dennis Limited and technology company Fusion Processing.
This move by a major operator to test a full-size driverless bus could point to a shift in mentality among passengers, the publication notes. Previous research has shown that, while 85% of responders were thrilled by driverless technology, only 46% of them were happy to ride share. Most responders had concerns about using driverless 4 to 6-seat shuttles with strangers, and many weren’t willing to pay premium fare just so they could ride in a vehicle that didn’t have a driver, as opposed to a regular bus fare.
In other words, if Stagecoach is willing to give this a spin, then they must’ve conducted separate research that shows such a move would be profitable. Or else they wouldn’t be even be considering the move, no matter how much they claim it will save them money, space and effort.
Google News