Self-driving busses...
 

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Self-driving busses coming to a road near you (if you live near Edinburgh)

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https://www.heraldscotland.com/business_hq/23433646.scotland-transport-self-driving-buses-enter-service-next-month/

Apparently the UK government believes this is a World first.

Apparently the UK government can't use google:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidnikel/2022/01/21/driverless-bus-test-announced-in-downtown-stavanger-norway/?sh=506193486552

For anyone who is worried, I'm in Stavanger and I haven't been killed by one yet.


 
Posted : 04/04/2023 1:55 pm
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Self-driving, with 2 staff members on board. Could just hade made them cheaper and have one of those people drive it . . .


 
Posted : 04/04/2023 1:58 pm
supernova reacted
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-65175447
They will have two members of staff on board

A safety driver will sit in the driver's seat to monitor the technology, and a so-called bus captain will help passengers with boarding, buying tickets and queries.

So a bus driver and a conductor  😂 ......   the driverless bus is creating more jobs than the driven bus


 
Posted : 04/04/2023 1:59 pm
verses reacted
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bus captain

The most important question is obviously, will he have a hat?


 
Posted : 04/04/2023 2:01 pm
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bus captain

The most important question is obviously, will he have a hat?

...and what size will the controller be?


 
Posted : 04/04/2023 2:14 pm
AndrewL reacted
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Is it just a regular diesel? I know it's not the point but interested to know if it's electric or hydrogen. A fixed route would lend it to either presumably.

Edit: it's a diesel
https://www.alexander-dennis.com/products/single-deck-buses/enviro200/#:~:text=The%20Enviro200%20is%20Britai n's%20favourite%20single%20deck%20bus.,all%20parts%20of%20the%20industry.


 
Posted : 05/04/2023 10:00 am
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The most important question is obviously, will he have a hat?

It'll be tin foil, to protect him from the AI


 
Posted : 05/04/2023 10:15 am
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So current buses are single crew, many of them hybrid and Lothian are also trialling a fully electric vehicle.

New bus requires two staff and is diesel. Doesn't feel like progress.


 
Posted : 05/04/2023 1:54 pm
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They've already been using them on Milton Park in Oxfordshire too so not even a U.K. first

https://www.miltonpark.co.uk/mi-link-autonomous-bus/


 
Posted : 05/04/2023 2:01 pm
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…and what size will the controller be?

we can only guess . .


 
Posted : 05/04/2023 2:11 pm
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A safety driver will sit in the driver’s seat to monitor the technology, and a so-called bus captain will help passengers with boarding, buying tickets and queries.

So a bus driver and a conductor 😂 …… the driverless bus is creating more jobs than the driven bus

To be fair, a lot of the "need" for 2 staff on board was down to customer feedback in advance of the scheme launching.

I can imagine the driving role being boring...boring... boring...oh shit, where's the brakes, what do I do now?!


 
Posted : 05/04/2023 2:24 pm
 mert
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I can imagine the driving role being boring…boring… boring…oh shit, where’s the brakes, what do I do now?!

This is why no one with an ounce of sense is doing level 3 autonomous!

New bus requires two staff and is diesel. Doesn’t feel like progress.

Wouldn't read too much into it, most autonomous test cars have at least 2 and usually 3 people in it while testing.
One of whom will just sit there and watch the world go by until it all goes wrong.

And loads of companies are trialing EV buses in various configurations. They are also adding new tech to diesel buses.


 
Posted : 05/04/2023 3:11 pm
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Anyone know the exact route? Any bits of road that I am likely to be cycling down? (There’s the bit by Edinburgh Park station obvs, but that has very little traffic)


 
Posted : 05/04/2023 3:15 pm
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I know one of the guys on this program, he’s vastly experienced and i can assure you he won’t panic or think ‘what do i do now’


 
Posted : 05/04/2023 3:22 pm
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Anyone know the exact route? Any bits of road that I am likely to be cycling down? (There’s the bit by Edinburgh Park station obvs, but that has very little traffic)

My own personal experience of bus drivers in Stavanger comes from the fact that at least 1 in 4 seems to take great joy in trying to scare/kill any cyclist they come across.

None of the autonomous buses have done did this to me so I'm putting this down in the 'progress' column. The sooner human bus drivers become full time 'bus captains' the better, I reckon.

I wouldn't worry about sharing the road with the autonomous busses in Edinburgh either.


 
Posted : 05/04/2023 4:31 pm
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For anyone who is worried, I’m in Stavanger and I haven’t been killed by one yet

Tbh, considering 'some' of the drivers of Lothian Buses I'll probably feel safer.


 
Posted : 06/04/2023 12:28 pm

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