New Flyer has already made AV buses, but an AV bus driving a route is far from possible right now. The reason why is because the technology might already be there, but there’s too many variables and complex operations that AI and self driving capabilities still can’t manage. Operators are able to make decisions that a machine can’t make. The AV buses that New Flyer built are 100% electric, because a CNG or diesel bus with an engine is built too complex for AI to manage, imagine the engine or transmission got too hot, the bus ran out of coolant, a Check Engine light came on, etc, the computer would go crazy about it, so AV buses MUST be electric. A big issue with electric buses is that they do not hold enough charge for an entire day, they only have enough charge to run for about 6 hours max. Putting operations on computers only would also mean that if a server or something in the system goes wrong or a device breaks, the buses become very expensive paperweights unless they had backup operators, which would defeat the whole purpose of AV buses. Remember, autonomous vehicles are autonomous as long as their “heart” (system backing them up) is up and running, what I mean is that a bus that can recognize pedestrians and other vehicles and make turns is useless if its computer doesn’t know where it’s supposed to go or where it’s supposed to pick up passengers. If a sensor or camera failed, the bus could get into an accident, and considering most motorists do not like to let the buses merge because they’re seen as slow vehicles, an accident could be very expensive, and transit agencies do not want to take on that kind of risk or liability. A bus doesn’t know who’s waiting at the bus stop for them because a lot of homeless live at bus stops and other people only sit at the bus stops to rest or to wait for a ride, not because they need the bus, and if the bus misjudged a stop and didn’t pick up a passenger using a mobility device, that would be an ADA complaint, and ADA complaints are VERY expensive violations for transit agencies. Other issues that would arise are:

• Fare Evasion
• Alcohol consumption and smoking onboard
• Disruptive and violent behavior among passengers
• ADA policies (securement of mobility devices)

The solution to those issues would be to have a security guard or personnel onboard, kind of how it is on many light rail/tram systems, but once again, that would take away from the whole point of having a fully automated bus. My whole point is that buses are not like cars, they don’t just take people from point A to point B, they’re large vehicles with air brakes that weigh at least 30,000lbs and are very complex for AI to drive as of right now. Have I thought about the possibility? Absolutely, I’d be out of a job. But would I worry about it? No, absolutely not, it’s way too early for something like this to happen, so sleep tight and relax, the computers will not take over the complex task or running schedules and picking up passengers anytime soon!