Stagecoach self-drive buses to be tested
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Stagecoach self-drive buses are to be tested in depots, marking a potential shift toward self-driving technology on UK roads.
Currently, self-drive vehicles are not yet fully legal for road-use, but the government plans to have them on pubic roads as soon as possible. We have the likes of Tesla testing their self-drive technology right now, despite there being a number of accidents (and fatalities) so far that are linked to self-drive technology.
We remain incredibly concerned about these hastening developments.
According to news reports, Stagecoach self-drive vehicles will be tested in depots, where these autonomous buses will reportedly park and drive themselves to refuelling and wash points.
Until changes in the law, the Stagecoach self-drive buses will be limited to their depots only and are not yet set for road use right now.
The trials have been hailed by the company as “exciting”, with the transport firm saying that these fully-sized, single-decker Stagecoach self-drive vehicles could be “safer, more efficient and save space within its depots”.
They believe that safety will improve because sensors aboard the vehicles will be able to can check for pedestrians, cyclists and keep a better eye on blind spots, but it’s notable that this kind of technology could , we assume, be used in conjunction with a driver behind the wheel.
The fact that we’re talking about Stagecoach self-drive buses here as opposed to brands like Google and Tesla, both of whom have been testing self-drive technology for some time, is big.
We’re talking about one of the most mainstream transport operators in the country as opposed to an adventurous tech-firm reaching for new heights of innovation.
Surely, this news means other operators will be wanting to follow suit to compete. Are we on the cusp of the end of driver-operated vehicles?
Legal issues surrounding insurance and liability, as well as accident claims and how they will be dealt with, remain a huge concern for us. A fully-packed bus crashing as a result of self-driving technology failing to do what a human could do could lead to serious loss of life.
New legislation will need to be brought into place, and we have already seen from previous accidents that technology is not yet at a stage where it can process and avoid a hazard in the same way a human driver can.
For these reasons, the news of the Stagecoach self-drive vehicle testing is cause or concern.
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