3 ms·

This company isn't the only one running autonomous shuttle buses - what makes theirs different from their competitors?

bobthepanda 2y ago
I suppose it's bigger? It says it has a capacity of 30. The thing that interests me, is does this thing go faster than 30kph? Because so far all the minibus pilots have basically been for parking lot shuttles.
- gloflo 2y ago
  30kph is more than enough for any urban setting.
  - bobthepanda 2y ago
    maybe on tiny residential side roads. even in Amsterdam, where most speed limits have reduced to 30kph, there are still main roads and public transport lanes signed for 50kph. https://etsc.eu/amsterdam-follows-paris-brussels-and-madrid-with-default-30-km-h-limits/ https://etsc.eu/amsterdam-follows-paris-brussels-and-madrid-... and bus operators put a lot of effort into fleet economies of scale, so having to hive their fleets in two with slower and faster buses is unlikely to go well. Especially since there are perfectly valid reasons for an out-of-service bus to use a faster road; 30kph as a maximum is slow enough that the vehicle would be banned from certain classes of road altogether.
    - TrueGeek 2y ago
      > having to hive their fleets in two with slower and faster buses is unlikely to go well They already do this though. I don't know about Amsterdam, but in Limburg the buses are electric for in-city routes and gas for the longer routes between cities and countries.
      - bobthepanda 2y ago
        N splits may be fine, but N+1 may not be, especially when you consider how rare 30kph only routes are.
      - user_7832 2y ago
        I believe the Rotterdam buses (RET) that run till Delft/The Hague, effectively intercity, are all electric.
  - Moldoteck 2y ago
    for cars - mostly yes, for public transport - debatable, depending on area
  - constantcrying 2y ago
    30kph is a nuisance in any urban setting. Legitimately dangerous, when everyone else is going 50, which is the standard urban speed.

I suppose it's bigger? It says it has a capacity of 30. The thing that interests me, is does this thing go faster than 30kph? Because so far all the minibus pilots have basically been for parking lot shuttles.

gloflo 2y ago
30kph is more than enough for any urban setting.
- bobthepanda 2y ago
  maybe on tiny residential side roads. even in Amsterdam, where most speed limits have reduced to 30kph, there are still main roads and public transport lanes signed for 50kph. https://etsc.eu/amsterdam-follows-paris-brussels-and-madrid-with-default-30-km-h-limits/ https://etsc.eu/amsterdam-follows-paris-brussels-and-madrid-... and bus operators put a lot of effort into fleet economies of scale, so having to hive their fleets in two with slower and faster buses is unlikely to go well. Especially since there are perfectly valid reasons for an out-of-service bus to use a faster road; 30kph as a maximum is slow enough that the vehicle would be banned from certain classes of road altogether.
  - TrueGeek 2y ago
    > having to hive their fleets in two with slower and faster buses is unlikely to go well They already do this though. I don't know about Amsterdam, but in Limburg the buses are electric for in-city routes and gas for the longer routes between cities and countries.
    - bobthepanda 2y ago
      N splits may be fine, but N+1 may not be, especially when you consider how rare 30kph only routes are.
    - user_7832 2y ago
      I believe the Rotterdam buses (RET) that run till Delft/The Hague, effectively intercity, are all electric.
- Moldoteck 2y ago
  for cars - mostly yes, for public transport - debatable, depending on area
- constantcrying 2y ago
  30kph is a nuisance in any urban setting. Legitimately dangerous, when everyone else is going 50, which is the standard urban speed.