The Flemish transport company De Lijn wants to put a self-driving bus on the road in 2018. During a pilot project near Zaventem airport, the bus is to maintain an hourly service over a distance of 5 kilometers.
The route on which the self-driving bus must travel is in an area that can be designated as a ‘private road’. That is why, in the strict sense of the law, the bus does not drive on public roads and the legislation does not need to be amended. However, the self-driving bus will move between normal traffic. It concerns a route between a number of parking spaces near Zaventem Airport, an area with industrial estates, and the terminals at the airport.
From 2018, the bus is expected to transport approximately 250 passengers per hour at an average speed of approximately 20 km/h. The project will cost an estimated 360,000 euros, with the costs being shared between De Lijn and the airport. After the summer, interested companies can register for the tender.
According to Roger Kesteloot, director of De Lijn, it is not the intention that self-driving buses will replace drivers, Datanews writes. It would concern routes where the deployment of drivers would be too expensive. In addition, Minister of Mobility Ben Weyts wants Flanders to invest in the technology for autonomous vehicles and, in the longer term, legislation must also be introduced that makes self-driving cars and buses possible on the road.