Skip to main content

Two thousand people take part in Australia’s driverless bus trial

More than 2,000 people have now taken part in Australia’s first driverless bus trial, the RAC Intellibus, since its launch by automobile club on public roads in South Perth, Western Australia. RAC general manager for public policy, Anne Still, said the trial was one of the most progressive in the world and had generated a lot of public interest, with more than 6,000 people registered to take part in the trial. So far, the RAC Intellibus has completed 357 trips and travelled 1,050 kilometres. The fu
March 23, 2017 Read time: 1 min
More than 2,000 people have now taken part in Australia’s first driverless bus trial, the RAC Intellibus, since its launch by automobile club on public roads in South Perth, Western Australia.

RAC general manager for public policy, Anne Still, said the trial was one of the most progressive in the world and had generated a lot of public interest, with more than 6,000 people registered to take part in the trial.

So far, the RAC Intellibus has completed 357 trips and travelled 1,050 kilometres.

The fully electric and driverless bus has no steering wheel, driver’s seat, brake pads, pedals or accelerator. It uses light detection and ranging (LiDAR), stereovision cameras, GPS, odometry and autonomous emergency braking to detect and avoid obstacles and keep its precise geographic location.

Related Content

  • April 2, 2013
    Australia’s NRMA welcomes road safety funding boost
    Australia’s National Roads and Motorists' Association (NRMA) has praised the New South Wales (NSW) government's plan to use revenue raised by speed cameras to help boost funding for road safety programs by US$7.3 million. The new Safer Roads Program is part of the Centre for Road Safety's state-wide strategy aimed at cutting the state's road toll by thirty per cent by 2021. The additional funds will see a total of US$37.6 million a year spent on works in areas where the worst crashes are occurring, with the
  • November 12, 2015
    Driver aids make inroads on improving safety
    In-vehicle anti-collision systems continue to evolve and could eliminate some incidents altogether. John Kendall rounds up the current developments. A few weeks ago, I watched a driver reverse a car from a parking bay at right angles to the road, straight into a car driving along the road. The accident happened at walking pace, no-one was hurt and both cars had body panels that regain their shape after a low speed shunt.
  • August 17, 2016
    Ford targets fully autonomous vehicle in 2021
    Ford has announced its intention to have a high-volume, fully autonomous vehicle in commercial operation in 2021. The new vehicle will be a Society of Automotive Engineers-rated level 4-capable vehicle without a steering wheel or gas and brake pedals. It is being specifically designed for commercial mobility services, such as ride sharing and ride hailing, and will be available in high volumes. SAE level 4 is one level below full automation and is defined as ‘mode-specific performance by an automated
  • September 19, 2013
    Australia ‘must choose an electric car charging norm’
    According to Professor Thomas Braunl, director of the renewable energy vehicle project at the University of Western Australia, it’s time for Australia to choose a standard for vehicle charging connectors. When the university started Australia’s first electric vehicle trial in Western Australia in 2010, there were no manufacturer-built cars available and locally built conversions had to be used. As of today, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Holden and Tesla offer electric cars in the Australian market. Nearly all inte