PILOT DEPLOYMENT PHASES
During the initial phases of the pilot run, a safety operator will be on board the buses at all times, said LTA, adding that it will also monitor the buses in real-time to “ensure consistent self-driving performance and regulatory compliance”.
The safety operator will be able to take over control of the bus if necessary, CNA understands.
SBS Transit, the bus operator, will also consider commuters’ feedback to review and improve the autonomous bus operations.
“After the autonomous bus has demonstrated its capabilities to operate smoothly and safely, it will progress to the next phase where a
remote operator will monitor the operation continuously in a remote control centre,” said LTA.
A customer service officer will also be deployed onboard, in place of the safety operator, to assist commuters.
The consortium will work with SBS Transit to ” develop operational concepts and plans” for the hybrid fleet, said LTA.
The consortium will also work with the Singapore Bus Academy to train existing bus captains to take on new roles as safety operators and to learn to operate the autonomous buses competently and confidently, added LTA.
LTA said it will also work with public transport operators and the National Transport Workers’ Union to develop training programmes for new roles in the AV industry, including safety operators, customer service officers, fleet managers and other technical functions.
“Through this pilot deployment, LTA aims to assess the technical feasibility of AV technology for public bus services, and gain insights into the operational aspects of running autonomous buses at both service and fleet levels.”
LTA added that following this run, it may procure up to 14 more autonomous buses and expand the pilot to more public bus services.
“This phased approach enables LTA to progressively scale up the deployment of autonomous buses, while ensuring bus operations remain reliable and safe.
“AV buses will complement existing buses, allowing us to maintain routes with lower ridership or introduce new services that are hitherto difficult to introduce due to manpower constraint.”
