TTC report looks into driverless buses
Autonomous vehicles are years away, but agency hopes to be a leader in their use
The TTC is contemplating a future when autonomous vehicles could replace its existing bus fleet.
A report that agency staff prepared for the TTC board meeting on Wednesday noted that the development of driverless vehicles capable of being used in public transit is still years away, and there’s too little information for the agency to take steps to adopt the technology.
But the report states that should these buses become available, “the TTC would be happy to become a leader” in their use.
TTC CEO Andy Byford said it’s smart for the transit commission to take a “wait and see approach.
“The TTC has in the past had its fingers burnt by getting in at the early edge of technology,” he said, citing the fleet of hybrid buses that the agency rolled out in 2008. The vehicles have turned out to be much less reliable than regular buses.
“I don’t think Torontonians will thank us if we race into embracing new technology before it’s been proven,” Byford said.
Ross McKenzie, managing director for the Waterloo Centre of Automotive Research at the University of Waterloo, said the transit agency is right to start preparing for autonomous vehicles. He said that for more than a decade, companies have been able to build autonomous shuttles that operate on closed courses, such as business parks or university cam- puses. The next step is transferring that technology to a city street.
“It’s certainly on the horizon. Is it going to happen 20 years from now? No, it won’t take that long,” he said.
The report also said that, to date, autonomous vehicles have had difficultly performing in inclement weather, particularly snow, which could “significantly limit the viability of AVs in Canadian climates.”
While major car manufacturers, such as Ford, Tesla and BMW, have focused investment in private autonomous vehicles, some advancements have been made in automated public transit vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz is developing a “Future Bus” that it claims will be able to operate “more safely, efficiently, comfortably than conventional buses,” but test data from the vehicle has not yet been made public.