FREE RIDE A driverless mini-bus, introduced by WeRide and Renault Group, drives by Casa Batlló, designed by Antoni Gaudí, in Barcelona downtown, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Picture/Emilio Morenatti)
BARCELONA, Spain — Commuters in downtown Barcelona have been capable of trip the bus without cost this week. There’s only one catch: this mini-bus has nobody on the wheel.
The bus pulls away from the cease with its passengers by itself, brakes earlier than altering lanes and eases down considered one of Barcelona’s most trendy boulevards.
Renault is testing a brand new driverless mini-bus in Barcelona this week. The autonomous automobile is operating on a 2.2-km (1.3-mile) round route with 4 stops within the heart of the Spanish metropolis. Adventurous commuters can soar on freed from cost.
The French carmaker has teamed up with WeRide, an organization specializing in autonomous autos, to make the prototype. It unveiled the driverless bus on the French Open venue final 12 months, however now it’s testing it on the open street in Barcelona. It additionally has testing initiatives moving into Valence, France, and on the Zurich airport.
Pau Cugat was one of many curious to step aboard for a brief trip alongside Passeig de Gracia boulevard.
“We simply handed by an everyday, combustion-engine metropolis bus, and I assumed, ‘Look, there’s a bus of the previous, and proper behind it you’ve the bus of the long run,’” the 18-year-old scholar stated.
Catching up
Driverless taxis and buses are being tried out by corporations in different cities, from San Francisco to Tokyo.
READ: San Francisco launches driverless bus service following robotaxi growth
However Renault’s initiative comes as Europe typically lags behind the US and China in driverless automobile know-how, the place corporations are fiercely competing to get forward.
READ: China’s rising ‘robotaxi’ fleet sparks concern, surprise on streets
“The US is doing a variety of experimentation with autonomous autos, the identical factor in China,” Patrick Vergelas, head of Renault’s autonomous mobility initiatives, advised The Related Press. “Till now we don’t have quite a bit in reality in Europe. And this is the reason we need to present that this works and put together Europe to this route in public transportation.”
Electrical automobile
The electrical bus can run for 120 kilometers with no recharge and attain 40 kilometers per hour (25 mph). It’s geared up with 10 cameras and eight lidars (sensor arrays) to assist it navigate the streets full of automobiles, motorbikes and pedestrians. The corporate says the bus is ready to drive safely on a given course via a busy downtown like that of bustling Barcelona.
Carlos Santos, of Renault’s autonomous driving group, stated that he has seen all forms of reactions from riders.
“We’ve seen a variety of behaviors of individuals. A few of them have been smiling, (whereas) different folks simply begin crying, taking images and even attempt to open the doorways,” Santos stated earlier than he insisted that the bus trip was a secure one.
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Barcelona’s metropolis officers stated that they’ve had no reviews of accidents brought on by the experimental bus.
