Self-Driving Buses Tested On The Streets of Las Vegas

Self-driving buses use many systems to move safely including GPS tech and radar.

(Mirror Daily, United States) -Las Vegas is now the first city that has self-driving buses riding on its streets. Visitors that are walking around Vegas now have the chance to ride a self-driving bus. These buses are being tested on the streets of Vegas until 20th January.

The company that was granted the right to test their autonomous buses in Las Vegas was Navya. This project is realized with the collaboration between Keolis, the city officials, and Navya. In order to test these buses the mayor of Las Vegas, Carolyn Goodman, used the bus on 11 January, on its first ride.

She mentioned that it was a nice ride and that people can use it without fear. The autonomous buses are going to be seen along the Fremont Street and it can be used by anybody. These buses can hold up to 12 riders. The bus can drive with 27mph but since it is in the trial period it is going to drive with 12mph.

Despite the fact that you won’t ride too fast with these busses, it is a great opportunity to test these autonomous buses by yourself. In order to make people feel safe during the ride, it was mentioned that the self-driving buses use many systems to move safely including GPS tech and radar.

If this trial period ends without any incidents, a permanent service might be introduced on the streets of Las Vegas in the fall. The costs for this type of service are going to be around $10,000 per month. Despite the fact that people can ride the bus for free this month, once the service becomes permanent people might need to pay a small fee.

The name of the self-driving bus is Arma and it is the first autonomous bus to ride the streets in the US. The city officials mentioned that this initiative was made in order to test technology in areas like alternative energy and transportation.

State officials are hoping that more car companies are going to test and offer permanent services in Las Vegas since the city hosts CES tech meetings. This is a great start for Navya and Keolis which might offer permanent services if the trial ends well.

What is your opinion about self-driving buses? Would you use one?

Image source: Wikipedia

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Tara Hamilton

Tara has graduated from the University of Oregon, with bachelors degree in Spanish Literature in 2010. She lived in Miami for one year and travelled extensively before settling down in El Paso.