In the Swiss city of Sion, testing of electric buses with an autopilot system on public roads has begun. The test period is estimated at about a year and will last until October 2017. The main goal of the pilot project is to refine the infrastructure and understand how driverless transport will behave in real traffic conditions.
For safety reasons, the speed of the buses is artificially limited to 20 km/h. During the tests, the vehicles will travel along predetermined routes, and a person will be present in the cabin. They will not interfere with the driving but will monitor the autopilot's operation and evaluate its effectiveness.
Rides on such transport will be free for all passengers, including people with disabilities, for whom special ramps will be installed. One bus is designed for 11 passengers. Also, for the convenience of passengers, a mobile application has been developed that allows them to find out the exact arrival time of the bus.
After the completion of the tests in Switzerland, they plan to launch electric driverless buses in other cities as well. The authorities believe that this will help improve the environmental situation and reduce the number of accidents on the roads.
