Sydney is the latest city to start trials of driverless buses with Sydney Olympic Park chosen as the venue.
The NSW Government has joined forces with HMI Technologies, NRMA, Telstra, IAG and Sydney Olympic Park Authority for the trial, which will initially take place on secure, off-road environments.
Following the success of the first stage, the trial will extend to public use around the Sydney Olympic Park Precinct.
Transport Minister Andrew Constance said the ultimate goal of the trial was to find the best way to harness the next generation of driverless technology.
“Today we drive our cars but the reality is, cars will soon drive us and while we are not there yet, we need to be prepared for this change and we need to stay ahead of the game,” Constance said.
Minister for Roads Melinda Pavey said the trial was about connectivity, as well as automated vehicles.
“We want to use the trial to help develop the systems that will enable automated vehicles to be connected to our infrastructure, like traffic lights, and to our customers through their devices and applications,” Pavey added.
“It’s the combination of connectivity and automation that will provide the safety and mobility benefits we are looking for.”
Similar trials are also being conducted in Darwin, Perth, Adelaide and Victoria with similar spec mini-buses.
