Taipei To Trial Driverless Buses on Public Roads From Next Year
Taipei is planning pilot routes for autonomous buses across 15 designated bus lanes in the city next year. But while trials are expected to begin on non-public roads this year, the project faces skepticism regarding road safety, an ongoing lack of licensing regulations for autonomous buses, and questions over power supply tied to the city's growing AI infrastructure.
Buses with no one in the driver's seat may be hitting the streets of Taipei from 2027.
The city government plans to test driverless buses on non-public roads at Taipei Zoo this year... then next year on 15 designated bus lanes and the Beitou-Shilin Technology Park, where Nvidia's new headquarters will be.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an says he hopes the rollout will ease a shortage of bus drivers.
And while passengers may have some fears of riding on buses with no-one behind the wheel, at least a few of them may not be too sad to see human drivers go...
RESIDENT:
"Some bus drivers don’t care about our safety. They start moving as soon as you get on. Then they’re always braking while moving. It happens sometimes. They don’t really care. Standing passengers aren’t able to stand firmly."
RESIDENT:
"Sometimes the bus driver hits the brakes too hard. It’s a bit uncomfortable. I care more about how safe and reliable driverless buses are. After all, it’s electronic stuff we’re talking about."
RESIDENT:
"Buses need to look out for jaywalkers, for example. The actual conditions on Taiwan’s roads need to be reflected in the design of the sandbox trials for us to know how realistic they are."
It's not the first time Taipei has attempted to introduce self-driving buses.
Back in 2021, a similar project was halted due to a lack of licensing regulations for driverless buses... and that’s a gap that still exists.
TAI CHIH-YEN, ASSOCIATE RESEARCH FELLOW, CIER:
"When Taiwan held trials in the past the mindset has been on proving the technology instead of ensuring a viable business model. Then there are conflicts arising from regulations. And this is one of the more important aspects if we want to export our technology abroad when it has matured."
Concerns about reliable power supply also weigh heavily on the project... especially after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called for more local grid capacity for AI infrastructure.
In response, the city government says it's working to secure a plot of land for a dedicated power substation to meet growing demand... It points out that self-driving electric buses use the same amount of power as existing electric buses with drivers.
For now, human operators will continue to be behind the wheel.
