Test runs of the world's first autonomous bus are drawing to an end in southern Switzerland, and a mobility expert says the Swiss approach compares well to similar autonomous driving experiments in other parts of the world.
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I have a wealth of experience as a journalist working in Switzerland and enjoy producing videos, articles and podcasts on a range of subjects, recently focused mainly on politics and the environment.
Born in the UK, I studied law at Nottingham University, then went on to attend the first-ever post-graduate radio journalism college in London. After working as a radio journalist in the UK and then Switzerland from 1984 to 1995, I returned to the UK to complete a post-graduate diploma in film at Bournemouth Film School. I have been working as a video journalist ever since.
The Swiss PostBus project started in Sion, the capital of canton Valais, in 2016, and has transported more than 54,000 passengers through the city centre.
The next stage was to provide on-demand bus services in the village of Uvrier about six kilometres (circa four miles) away, which was not previously served by public transport. A network with 20 bus stops was established. The vehicles can be booked via a call centre or through a touch display at the railway station.
Over the past five years a growing number of other Swiss cities and transport companies have experimented with driverless vehicles on fixed routes. The results of these trials have been generally positive.
The self-driving shuttles in Sion and Uvrier are the fruit of a collaboration between the Sion and Valais authorities, PostBus and Swiss start-up BestMile, founded in 2014 by graduates of EPFL, the federal technology institute in Lausanne.
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Driverless vehicles may lead to more congestion in cities
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A study has found that the introduction of autonomous taxis and privately-owned driverless vehicles on Swiss streets may result in more congestion.
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“Move along inside, there’s room for up to nine people,” says Pascal Lecuyot, our guide in one of two distinctive bright-yellow driverless buses. The doors close with a swish. The electric-powered vehicle beeps twice and we’re off – aided by computer technology but without a driver, steering wheel or pedals. “Hold on tight, as I’m…
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The canton of Geneva is set to test a system of self-driving public buses as part of an international project part-funded by the EU.
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Swiss Federal Railways has tested a system to automate train traffic. If rolled out, the idea is to increase passenger and freight capacity by 30%.
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The city of Sion plans to expand its pioneering autonomous bus service, doubling the length of its route and extending the offer to the end of 2018.
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