Autonomous Bus

[LukeDawson]

Hello everyone, I have a question regarding the autonomous bus trial at Coffs Harbour. Is it still going on, or has it even begun? I value your response.

[Fleet Lists]

Is this what you are referring to? Automated vehicle 'BusBot' launches in Coffs Harbour https://www.busways.com.au/news-items/a ... fs-harbour

According to https://www.busways.com.au/news-items/a ... al-botanic it strated over 2 and a half years ago so I suspect it finished some time ago.

There is a further report on it in March last year https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/news-a ... -harbour-0

[eddy]

What a joke, and they won't even trial my Trailerbus that has an onboard driver rather than controlling it remotely like theirs.

[Fleet Lists]

That is why they wont trial it - they want to get rid of the drivers.

[eddy]

That is why they wont trial it - they want to get rid of the drivers.

Well they still had to have a guy remotely controlling it in the end.

[Fleet Lists]

But if they have more than one, they need a driver for everyone of them while a remote controller can control more that one.

[Merc1107]

while a remote controller can control more that one.

That would depend on how much oversight each would require?

[eddy]

My wife has just bought a walker of which there seems to be an increasing number being used as we age and it does fold up but I think it would be too heavy for an old person to carry and then they cannot sit on it and on some routes it may be better to use a trailerbus https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/ ... top-button

Rather than ignoring it I would like to know why people are afraid of trying new things.

[1whoknows]

The bus bot is a (relatively) new thing. There was also a full size level 3 autonomous bus at the show which is entering a 12 month testing and proving program, much of which will be conducted at the Anglesea facility in Victoria.

[Merc1107]

We'll see how that goes, I guess... Autonomous metros are one thing, buses have way more uncontrollable variables to account for. Incidents like those of the Therac-25 radiotherapy device in 1980s show how small oversights can have catastrophic consequences; in its case, one of the causes of the "race condition" in the programming was the operator entering data too quickly. That was a simple, single-task device and basic computer interface. Today's software is vastly more complex.

[eddy]

My sat nav goes crazy sometimes especially in big cities with roadworks, I remember when they had the road closed and I ended up at Sydney airport in the middle of the night and when I asked a bus driver how to get out he told me there was a B double stuck there the night before.

[eddy]

The main problem with a trailerbus https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/ ... top-button is parking them when not in use but this can be fixed easily with cameras and more space for parking.

It may even be better to have owner driver prime movers with all the benefits to them and the state government especially on rail shut downs.

PS
Just thinking would they need a bus authority?

[Fleet Lists]

The Busbot was shown at the recent Bus Show - see viewtopic.php?t=92716

[eddy]

Am reading a PDF that although 2014 says planners use the terms accessibility verses mobility and I think an autonomous bus is accessibility but electric bikes, wheelchairs, electric scooters and conventional bikes and scooters are the future in most cases with the trailer bus https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/ ... top-button keeping to main roads and people putting their mobility aboard the trailerbus for use at the other end.