Council to trial bus with no steering wheel

The electric bus, developed by French company EasyMile, can carry 14 people on short, pre-defined routes along roads at speeds of up to 45km/h.

While it has no steering wheel, the bus is equipped with sensors to help it respond to changes like moving pedestrians, cyclists and other cars.

Redland mayor Karen Williams said the technology allowed people to be shuttled to and from destinations in a cost-efficient way and was already used in Darwin and overseas.

The autonomous bus could position south-east Queensland as the world’s first “smart region” by solving small area transport problems if used here.

The bus could connect commuters to car parks, ferry SMBI residents across their islands and deliver people to locations within shopping, health and industrial precincts, she said.

“Given the opportunities this technology creates for the mobility impaired, aged care and isolated communities, it’s fitting to see Redland City Council taking the lead with a driverless, vehicle trial,” she said.

The shuttle bus service on Sunday will travel at a speed of 5km/hr and will be parked near Cleveland Library the next day for people to look at. 

Cr Williams said the bus trial was organised after the Council of Mayors south-east Queensland delegation last year visited Singapore, a city which used the technology.

“...(We) first met with (bus builder) EasyMile and experienced the EZ10 electric driverless shuttle first hand,” she said.

“We knew we had to trial it here.”

She said council had worked with EasyMile and local bus operator Transdev to deliver the demonstration.

EasyMile spokesman Simon Pearce said the EZ10 bus, which was software-controlled, provided efficient transport solutions.

The bus is battery powered and has doors which open when prompted by passengers.