With new advances in AI and autonomous (自动的) driverless cars and trains, it makes sense that buses will become autonomous too. Now a full-sized autonomous bus service is up and running in Scotland.
The buses began running in May, 2023, and are carrying passengers between Ferrytoll Park and the Edinburgh Park. This 14-mile route (行车路线) is the first of its kind in the UK. The autonomous buses are being operated by Stagecoach, the largest coach operator in the UK. While the buses are autonomous, fully self-driving vehicles (交通工具) are not allowed in the UK now so a driver will have to be onboard at all times. The vehicles are required to have a safety driver to monitor the technology and a bus captain that will help passengers board and buy tickets. The driver can take control in case of an emergency situation.
It took almost 10 years of research and development and 1.8 million kilometers of practice runs to reach this stage, which is considered the first full-sized use of autonomous buses in Europe.
This project aims to speed up the application of self-driving technology. The government hopes that the autonomous buses will be more dependable, and more secure to use than traditional buses since 88 percent of road accidents are caused by drivers’ errors.
Other countries in Europe are exploring using driverless buses. There have already been short tests in several cities in Italy, Finland and France, and there are plans for driverless electric minibuses to be introduced in Switzerland, Germany and Norway. An autonomous bus may be just around the corner in a city near you.
【小题1】What do we know about the autonomous bus?| A．It is very popular with passengers. |
| B．It can only hold very few passengers. |
| C．There are two fixed workers on the bus. |
| D．It allows passengers to enjoy beautiful views. |
| A．Expensive. | B．Pioneering. | C．Fair. | D．Challenging. |
| A．Safer. | B．Faster. | C．More modern. | D．More comfortable. |
| A．To show they are also interested in driverless buses. |
| B．To show they have advanced self-driving technology. |
| C．To show people in these countries like driverless buses. |
| D．To show buses are popular transport in these countries. |
