Switzerland Banks on Autonomous Driving Buses

Switzerland is beginning to bank on autonomous driving and the town of Sion, in the Swiss canton of Valais, has also hopped on the driverless public transport bandwagon.

On June 23 two autonomous electric busses took to the town’s streets, marking the start of a two-year trial.

According to local news reports, the buses are equipped with air-conditioning, a ramp for disabled access and a backup battery.

And get this: they are also currently free to use.

In terms of mph, because the buses pick up and dispatch riders, they motor at a modest pace.  Each vehicle has a total of 11 seats and can reach a maximum speed of 12.4 miles per hour (20 kilometers per hour).

The project is being run by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) as part of the Mobility Lab Sion Valais initiative.

To calm anyone’s jittery nerves, an an attendant is present on board to keep an eye on safety and security.  That said, the busses are controlled remotely using software developed by BestMile, a startup founded by recent graduates from EPFL in Lausanne.

Category: Connected Fleet News, Featured