Trials will begin in Marina Bay and one-north
The primary of six autonomous public buses has reached Singapore and can be examined on routes 400 in Marina Bay and 191 in one-north from the second half of 2026 as a part of a three-year pilot programme.
In a Fb video on Mar 25, the Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) stated that the six buses can be rigorously examined to make sure that they meet all security and working necessities earlier than they hit the roads.
When prepared, the self-driving public buses will function alongside present manned buses, permitting LTA to take care of routes with decrease ridership or introduce new companies which can be at the moment tough to introduce as a consequence of manpower constraints.
The video from LTA revealed a 16-seater bus with options that resemble these of present public buses. It additionally confirmed an area designated for a wheelchair.
Cameras and sensors are seen mounted on the entrance, rear and prime of the autonomous bus, offering operators with a 360-degree view of the environment.
LTA famous that additional preparation is required earlier than testing begins.
The checks will embrace LTA’s closed-circuit evaluation, consisting of primary manoeuvres and secure passenger boarding and alighting in any respect designated stops.
Service 400 connects Marina Bay and Shenton Means, stopping at Marina Bay Cruise Centre, Gardens by the Bay, Shenton Means and Downtown MRT stations.
Whereas service 191 loops by way of one-north, with stops at Buona Vista bus terminal, one-north MRT, and Buona Vista MRT.
Following this deployment, LTA might procure as much as 14 extra autonomous buses and develop the pilot to extra public bus companies.
LTA first teased the launch of driverless public buses final Oct, the place it awarded a contract for the pilot deployment of autonomous buses to a consortium of MKX Applied sciences Pte Ltd, Zhidao Community Know-how (Beijing) Co. Ltd and BYD (Singapore) Pte Ltd for a contract sum of round S$8.14 million to pilot autonomous buses.
The consortium may even work with the Singapore Bus Academy to coach present bus captains to tackle new roles as security operators, in order that they’re outfitted to function the autonomous buses competently and confidently.
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Featured Picture Credit score: LTA
