After years of preparation, the Netherlands' first self-driving bus is ready to hit the streets.
Starting 1 August, passengers will be able to start taking the driverless shuttle to Rotterdam The Hague Airport, which had its first test run last Friday.
For now, a driver will still be present on board to monitor the operation and to prepare the autonomous system so it can eventually take over.
A spokesperson for RET, Rotterdam's bus company, Tessa Dronzek told local media that "the current laws and regulations do not yet allow self-driving vehicles on public roads that do not have someone in them who can intervene if necessary."
RET Director Linda Boot said bus drivers should not be worried about losing their jobs.
"We are currently hiring hundreds of people a year. That shortage won't change in the future. We really need this to solve a problem," she said.
The bus uses cameras, sensors and radar systems and is completely safe to enter traffic, says Rotterdam The Hague Airport, emphasising that the National Road Administration has given approval for the buses to enter public roads after "extensive testing."
It added that the route, which runs between the airport and the Meijersplein metro station, is clear and contains few complex traffic situations, making it suitable for automated buses.
It will take some years before self-driving vehicles can drive independently with other vehicles in traffic. More technological development is still needed and laws need to be adapted.
"We must first learn from this pilot before further development can take place," a spokesperson for RET said.
The trial of self-driving buses on public roads is a collaboration between DAM Shuttles, RET, Rotterdam The Hague Airport, Metropoolregio Rotterdam Den Haag, HTM and the municipality of Rotterdam.
