Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

The world’s first autonomous buses will debut in Switzerland in spring 2016

Albert Khoury
By

Bestmile PostBus CarPostal autonomous bus
As driverless cars continue to undergo testing on the streets, one company is applying the technology to public transportation. Swiss startup BestMile has developed a system to control fleets of autonomous vehicles, which the company compares to the functionality of an airport control tower. The company acquired its first commercial contract by teaming up with PostBus (known as CarPostal to the Swiss French), a major bus operator in Switzerland and France.

BestMile was founded in January 2014 by two graduates from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Since then, the new company and the research university have been working together to develop algorithms for autonomous public transportation. These buses will face traffic, pedestrians, and other obstacles and must deal with them in a safe and efficient manner. The autonomous system must be reliable, flexible, and able to function alongside existing transport systems. BestMile’s software will allow the operators of these vehicles to be able to monitor, control, and optimize their fleet remotely in real time as needed.

Related Videos
Navya autonomous bus

BestMile cofounder Anne Koymans cites a leading developer of autonomous vehicles as an influence that led to the company’s first commercial project. “There is a lot of interest for driverless mobility solutions, partly thanks to Google,” Koymans said in an interview with The Local. “Cities are interested but also public transport operators and the interest is increasing.”

Koymans points out that while Google aims to put more driverless cars on the road, BestMile is focusing purely on public transportation. There will also be development in what she calls “the last mile,” meaning the leg of a user’s journey between their stop and destination.

BestMile has been seeking funding to improve its developing technology. Previous successful projects include CityMobil2, a pilot platform for automated road transport systems.

French manufacturer Navya is designing and developing the 100% autonomous driverless and electric ARMA buses that will be provided to CarPostal/BestMile. Two existing shuttles have already been sold to CarPostal.

Autonomous buses carrying up to nine passengers will be introduced to the city of Sion, Valais in spring 2016, and will undergo two years of testing.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
2022 Volvo C40 Recharge first drive review: EV fashion statement
Front three quarter view of the 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge electric car.

Volvo wants to go all-electric by 2030, but so far it’s taking small steps toward that goal.

The C40 Recharge is technically Volvo’s first dedicated electric model, as there won’t be a gasoline version. But the C40 Recharge is closely related to the Volvo XC40, which is available with both gasoline and electric powertrains. It has the same basic platform and powertrain, as well as the same Android-based infotainment system. It even looks mostly the same as the XC40, with the main difference being a sleeker silhouette.

Read more
Nuro’s new autonomous delivery pod has an external airbag
The third versions of Nuro's autonomous delivery vehicle, featuring an external airbag.

Autonomous delivery specialist has just introduced the third version of its self-driving pod.

The new electric vehicle comes with more space for customer orders, customizable compartments for different types of goods, and an updated suite of navigation cameras, radar, lidar, and thermal cameras to equip the pod with a detailed view of its immediate environment.

Read more
Hyundai Ioniq 5 first drive review: Retro modern
2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 front three quarter view.

The 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5, the automaker’s newest electric car, proves that EVs are about more than a powertrain.

Hyundai has launched electric cars before, but they were derived from gasoline or hybrid models. The Ioniq 5 is a clean-sheet design, debuting Hyundai’s EV-specific Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) and taking advantage of the design freedom that entails. That makes the Ioniq 5 a stronger competitor to the Volkswagen ID.4, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and Tesla Model Y.

Read more