After several weeks of test drives without passengers, the city transport company in Gothenburg officially put its first autonomous bus into traffic with passengers this Monday at 10 a.m. However, less than two hours after the start of this premiere run, the project faced a serious problem. Namely, a traffic accident took place in the center of the city involving a newly introduced self-driving bus and a regular city tram, the Swedish newspaper Göteborgs-Posten reports.
The incident happened on the very day of the premiere of the technological “miracle”. After the accident, the bus was taken off the streets and is currently out of service until a detailed investigation into the causes of this accident is carried out.
Fortunately, no one was injured
The company Västtrafik, which manages public transport, says that the bus suddenly braked, after which the tram ran into it from behind. Despite the force of the impact and material damage to the vehicles, official sources confirm that none of the passengers or staff suffered physical injuries in this collision.
Project manager By Nyrenius he admitted to the media that such an event represents an extremely bad and disappointing start for the entire project and emphasized that the fate of the project itself is now in limbo. Until the completion of the official investigation that should determine why the bus system suddenly applied the brakes, the vehicle will not return to the regular route.
This self-driving bus is almost identical in dimensions to a classic city bus and moves at the same speed as standard public transport vehicles. As an additional precaution, a qualified driver/operator is present in the vehicle at all times and is tasked with taking control of the steering wheel in case of any need or danger on the road.