Autonomous Bus & Shuttle Services: Once a Far-Off Concept, Becoming Today's Reality

Everyone in the ITS world hears something about autonomous vehicles almost every day. Most of the time, it is about autonomous vehicles developed by Google or another one of the major automobile manufacturers. There are many other experiences and tests especially for mass transit like buses or shuttles.

In a recent guide presented by Rand Corporation on Autonomous Vehicle Technology, Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) found that, based on data for 498 urban areas across the country, traffic congestion in 2011 resulted in roughly 5.5 billion hours of excess travel delay and 2.9 billion gallons of excess fuel consumption - representing a total cost of $121 billion.

The implementation of autonomous vehicles will have a multitude of positive effects on the transportation industry, with some of the most important being reduced vehicle crashes and increased road throughput capacity from more efficient vehicle operation. 

While this is truly just the beginning of how impactful driverless transportation will be, look below for SES America's selection of videos about autonomous buses or shuttles services currently undergoing tests or some that are even already in service: 

Know of a video on autonomous vehicles that we should know about? Leave a comment below!