Self-driving buses hope to change public transport

(Baonghean.vn) - The famous German car company Mercedes-Benz is ambitious to change customers' concept of taking the bus with a self-driving bus they call Future Bus.

In July, the prototype bus completed a nearly 20km route that included traffic lights, underpasses and pedestrians.

To create the Future Bus, Mercedes built a self-driving platform based on an optimized system for buses, combining cameras, radar sensors and GPS positioning so that the vehicle can move intelligently and safely.

The Future Bus interior is very spacious and divided into many areas.

However, although the Future Bus has autonomous driving features, Mercedes has no plans to release a driverless bus to ensure safety. Mr. Andreas Mink, director of technical electronics for this bus project said:

“A driverless bus is not legal in public transport today. Moreover, this is not our goal. On the contrary, the driver’s job involves a lot of responsibility, we created this vehicle to make that job easier, not to eliminate it.”

Inside this bus model, there are 3 different areas. The central area is for passengers who are only going for a short trip. The rear area is a waiting room for passengers who are going for a long trip and finally, the area right next to the driver, called the service area, where passengers can consult information about the bus route.

Even though it has the ability to drive itself, the Future Bus still needs a driver to ensure safety.

Sharing about the interior, Mr. Minks added: “The interior design of the Future Bus will change the classic passenger compartment that we have used for decades. Its purpose is to create a more comfortable passenger compartment and divide it into many areas, open spaces for passengers to get on and off the bus easily. Instead of the cramped previous buses, the Future Bus can accommodate up to 105 passengers.”

Mercedes also confidently announced that the Future Bus will be more economical than conventional buses thanks to its self-driving capabilities. Sensors on the future bus can detect bus stops and traffic lights early to optimize speed. Fuel savings also mean reduced emissions and are more environmentally friendly.

Mercedes is investing a whopping $227 million to develop the bus, which will be put into service in 2020. Mink said the Future Bus still needs more testing, and Mercedes plans to add more support features before it is officially released.

Quan Le

(According to Business Insider)