Cristina Hodgson
THE first self-driving shuttle bus in Spain has an accident on its first day of service.
The vehicle was travelling at a speed of 20 kilometres per hour through the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid when it provoked the accident.
The driverless bus – carrying ‘several’ passengers – stopped abruptly giving no time of reaction to the auxiliary car that was directly behind it leading to a collision between the two vehicles.
The incident, which occurred on Tuesday, resulted in some slight scratches on the rear bumper of the electric car to the disbelief of the relevant authorities and the university students passing through the area.
The shuttle is the first of its kind to be used on public roads in Spain.
The national transport consortium explained that in the accident ‘neither the driver of the auxiliary car nor anyone on the bus was injured’.
Moreover, after technical tests carried out following the collision, the transport continued on its way without any further problems.
The shuttle bus, despite the slight hiccup on it’s first day, is destined to be the future of public transport.
It is a 100% electric vehicle with a capacity for 12 passengers with total autonomy of more than three kilometres, currently running between the Cantoblanco suburban station and Madrid’s university campus facilities, destined for students to use between 7.45 am and 4 pm.
The model is the Easy Mile EZ10 and has been developed by the UAM, the Community of Madrid and Alsa.
With self-driving shuttle buses, the Community of Madrid continues to be committed to sustainability and responsible transport.
The initiative is in addition to other measures taken by the capital to battle pollution and road congestion such as the Central Zero Emissions Area, reforms of the main access routes to the city centre, the extension of the cycling network and renovation of public transport.
The driverless vehicle will now be a key element in the transport of people around Madrid.
It is expected that the initiative will be applied in different territories of Spain in the near future, in a bid to promote a smoke-free country where the health of the citizens comes first.
