Changhua County government has introduced a driverless minibus into service, which began taking members of the public last Wednesday as part of a trial run. Changhua County Commissioner Wei Ming-ku says it is one of the first trials of a driverless public transport system in Taiwan, adding that Changhua County has the ideal space for conducting test drives with a dedicated route set aside below the High Speed Rail (HSR) elevated railway. According to Wei, the driverless bus will operate from a central location at Changhua HSR station and connect Sijhou Gardens with Cingshueiyan Campsite (Cingshuei Forest) to provide a new highlight for visitors.
The imported driverless minibus, produced by French company EasyMile, was introduced into Taiwan by 7StarLake. In the last few days, both President Tsai Ing-wen and Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu have ridden on the bus. Last week from Wednesday through to Sunday, Changhua County Government opened the service to members of the public as part of a trial run on an approximately 1 km route.
The driverless bus, which can carry a load of up to 1000 kg, has six seats and can accommodate a maximum of 10 passengers. The bus travels at a speed of between 30-40 km per hour and can turn corners, stop and open and close its doors automatically.
Photo: Yen Hung-chun, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者顏宏駿
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY EDWARD JONES)
彰化縣府引進無人駕駛小巴士，上週三開放民眾試乘。縣長魏明谷表示，無人駕駛運輸系統在國內是新嘗試，彰化縣有最好的試車空間，將高鐵高架橋下方廊道淨空，未來將以高鐵彰化站為中心，串聯溪州公園、清水岩露營區（清水之森），以無人車載運遊客，成為觀光新亮點。
這部無人駕駛小巴為法商喜門史塔雷克引進國內，日前總統蔡英文、高雄市長陳菊也曾搭乘。從上週三起至本週日，縣府在高鐵彰化站開放民眾試乘，試乘長度約一公里。
無人駕駛小巴最大載重量一千公斤，有六個座位，全車最多約坐十名乘客，車子以時速三、四十公里前進，會自動轉彎、停車及開關門。
(自由時報記者顏宏駿)
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