Driverless bus in China completes successful test runs

BEIJING: A Chinese bus-maker has claimed that its driverless bus has completed a successful trial operation on an intercity road in central China's Henan Province, where it automatically changed lanes and stopped at traffic signals.

The 10.5-metre hybrid bus by Yutong Bus Co. Ltd. ran around 32.6 kilometres on the intercity road linking Zhengzhou City with Kaifeng City in late August, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.

The driverless bus has passed all tests, including identifying all 26 traffic lights on the road, automatically changing lanes and overtaking vehicles in neighboring lanes, the company said.

The bus is installed with two cameras, four laser radars, one set of millimetre wave radar and integrated navigation system.

"You can shift between driverless mode and manual mode," said Tang Wang, deputy chief engineer of the company.

Yutong started research and development on driverless buses in 2012.

Tang said it needs technological improvement as well as legal support before the bus can be really put into use.

In 2014, Yutong's sales volume of buses and coaches reached over 60,000 units, ranking top in the world. Its products have been exported to more than 120 countries and regions.