Taipei could launch commercial self-driving buses as soon as 2029, beginning with a route serving the Beitou Shilin Technology Park, officials said today.
The capital is looking to launch the service as tech giant Nvidia opens a campus in the park and before the city hosts the 2029 World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, city officials said.
Once the central government has ironed out technical and regulatory issues, it would be easier for companies to participate in bringing autonomous vehicles to the city, Taipei Department of Transportation Director Hsieh Ming-hung (謝銘鴻) said.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Department of Transportation
In recent years, Taipei has struggled with a shortage of bus drivers, falling from 3,900 in 2021 to just more than 3,600 last year, city statistics showed.
This has led to excessive working hours and an increase in delays, Taipei City Councilor Tseng Hsien-ying (曾獻瑩) said.
The latest survey of Taipei bus operators showed that 10 companies once again scored “zero” in the category related to excessive driver working hours, he said.
Staffing shortages and overtime have become long-term issues among Taipei’s bus operators, and the city must compensate by accelerating plans for self-driving buses, he added.
The department has already planned a self-driving route from the technology park to Zhishan MRT Station expected by 2029, in line with the city’s plans to become a “future metropolis,” he said.
Cities in China, such as Shanghai and Suzhou, have already operated self-driving buses for a number of years, using safety attendants on-board in place of drivers, Tseng said.
Self-driving buses could replace traditional buses in the technology park during off-peak hours, as tech sector employees may work later and have non-traditional working hours, he said.
Taipei requires an additional three to four years before launching commercial operations, which is relatively slow, he said, adding that he hopes the city would more proactively begin to plan additional routes.
Once the central government updates related legislation, such as liability in the event of an accident, companies would be more willing to invest in autonomous vehicles, he added.
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