My bus journey with no-one at the wheel
DRIVER’S FOLDED ARMS EMPHASISE SELF-DRIVING TECH
WHEN I first heard that I would be getting on a driverless bus, I was very apprehensive.
Imagining a bizarre Back to the Future scenario, I expected some futuristic-looking machine filled with computers.
I was rather reassured, therefore, to step outside into the grey and gloomy Sharston depot to be greeted by a bus that looked the same as any of the others setting off for the day.
The only difference was that the bus was considerably cleaner and stood out as new, having escaped the wear and tear of daily service.
I was initially confused by the fact that there was a driver sat in the usual seat.
Dennis Finnegan sat with his arms folded to show that the wheel could twist and turn all by itself. He was there as a safety precaution. Under UK law, all self-driving vehicles need someone in the driver’s seat in case of emergency.
Like any other bus, there were no seat belts and there was plenty of standing room.
Despite being slightly cleaner, and having a steering wheel that moved as if by magic, the ride felt like any other journey.
The buses are still being driven in a controlled environment. Bosses are still in the pilot phase, being tested at the depot. But the bus felt so safe I would have been happy to have been driven down a main road in it.
The journey was not at all jerky; the accelerating and braking was very smooth and the vehicle handled corners with ease.
The bus circled the depot several times, expertly manoeuvering around tight bends and enclosed spaces.
All while ‘driver’ Dennis sat back