Mercedes Future Bus debuts semi-autonomous CityPilot system

THE CityPilot autonomous bus technology of Mercedes-Benz, used by the company’s Future Bus vehicles, made a landmark trip in the Netherlands that signals the next step towards the implementation of self-driving vehicles in public transportation.

The CityPilot technology is based on the Highway Pilot system of Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler, which is used for self-driving trucks. The platform was adapted to take into account the specific requirements for a city bus to operate, with radar, GPS and a dozen cameras built into the Future Bus to detect obstacles, pedestrians and traffic signals.

According to the automobile manufacturer, the Future Bus powered by CityPilot is capable of reaching top speeds of 70 kilometres per hour, on the open road, and is able to recognize objects and people.

The bus is also capable of making precise stops at pick-up locations, opening and closing its door before moving automatically.

A Future Bus was able to successfully follow a Bus Rapid Transit route with a distance of 20 kilometres from the Schiphol airport in Amsterdam to the town of Haarlem.

The trip saw the self-driving bus take tight turns while navigating intersections and making way for pedestrians, with no need for a human to manoeuvre the bus.

The bus, however, was not fully autonomous, as according to regulations, a driver is needed to be behind the wheel of the vehicle in case of an emergency.