Team-BHP - Singapore plans to deploy autonomous buses by 2022

We already have driver-less trains but this is the next big step.
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Residents and workers in three new towns will be the first in Singapore to ride driverless vehicles as part of their daily commute from 2022.

The Government has identified Punggol, Tengah and the Jurong Innovation District (JID) as areas where residents and workers can turn to pilot self-driving buses and shuttles for their first-and last-mile commutes.

The plans, unveiled by Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan yesterday, are the latest in Singapore's drive towards adopting autonomous vehicle (AV) technology, alongside other applications announced earlier, such as driverless campus buses, truck platooning systems and unmanned road sweepers.

Volvo's first electric bus begins trials in Singapore. It could join the country's fleet of autonomous transit vehicles in 2022.

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Universities have proven solid training grounds for self-driving shuttles.

Now, a campus in Singapore is set to test a full-sized autonomous bus from Volvo. The Swedish auto-maker's single-deck 7900 electric vehicle will carry up to 80 passengers at a time from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

Meanwhile, a second Volvo self-driving bus will undergo a trial at a bus depot managed by the country's public transport operator. Chances are both will eventually join the fleet of driverless transit vehicles, including smaller mini-vans and full-sized buses, due to hit three regions in Singapore in 2022.

The Volvo 7900 electric bus packs 36 seats and releases "zero emissions." NTU claims it consumes 80 per cent less energy than an equivalent-sized diesel bus. The university has been at the heart of Singapore's autonomous transit experiments, previously even building a "mini-town" for driver-less bus trials. It joined forces with Volvo to develop the 7900 in early 2018.

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Originally Posted by volkman10 (Post 4556181)

Volvo's first electric bus begins trials in Singapore. It could join the country's fleet of autonomous transit vehicles in 2022.

Needed in Singapore and other well off countries with limited population and plenty of capital. I hope we don't bring them here given our surplus of labour and shortage, relatively speaking, of capital. Nevertheless a sign of the times. In the 1960s and 1970s most elevators had a 'Liftman' as we called them then. Today hardly so.

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Originally Posted by V.Narayan (Post 4556286)

Apart from the labour, I can't even imagine a driver less vehicle on the streets of India given our fantastic civic sense!

Autonomous buses will work in Singapore. The buses there have such a fixed route and the way the drive is almost like they are remote controlled. The lanes the perfect bus stands and the way they move around.

Only one thing. If you notice most bus drivers are pretty senior folks. Jobs will be hit if it goes full autonomous over the course of few years.