A trial with fully autonomous public transport busses has started this afternoon in Appelscha, the Netherlands.
For the next six weeks two futuristic looking busses without a steering wheel, accelerator or even a brake pedal will take passengers back and forth the Forestry Commision’s outpost and Appelscha city center.
According to the municipality this is the first driverless vehicle with passengers on the Dutch public roads. The French made shuttles will drive a 2.5km route on a public bike path.
The municipality and the other northern provinces of the Netherlands want to become a testing ground for autonomous public transport. According to the initiators, with the ageing population of these provinces and the limited access to public transportation these autonomous vehicles could prove to be a solution to keep these rural areas accessible.