[ajdlinux]

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

[bobthepanda]

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]

30kph is more than enough for any urban setting.

[bobthepanda]

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-...

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]

> 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.

[user_7832]

I believe the Rotterdam buses (RET) that run till Delft/The Hague, effectively intercity, are all electric.

[bobthepanda]

N splits may be fine, but N+1 may not be, especially when you consider how rare 30kph only routes are.

[constantcrying]

30kph is a nuisance in any urban setting. Legitimately dangerous, when everyone else is going 50, which is the standard urban speed.

[Moldoteck]

for cars - mostly yes, for public transport - debatable, depending on area