Self-driving buses are to be tested across Taipei from next year, with a self-driving demonstration zone to be established in the Beitou-Shilin Technology Park in the first half of next year and 15 dedicated bus lanes planned for the second half of the year, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said today.
Chiang is unveiling a series of artificial intelligence (AI) related policies ahead of the local elections in November.
Taipei is set to become an important experimental hub for self-driving vehicles, with the rollout planned in three stages, he said.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Department of Transportation
The first stage would include pilot programs of self-driving shuttle buses in closed environments such as Taipei Zoo, he said.
The second stage would begin in the first half of next year, with an AI and autonomous driving demonstration zone planned for the Beitou-Shilin Technology Park, he said, testing cleaning vehicles and water-sprinkling trucks before advancing to passenger-carrying shuttle buses.
The third stage, set for the second half of next year, would involve pilot runs of autonomous buses on 15 dedicated bus lanes across the city, entailing comprehensive upgrades to road infrastructure, traffic signals and sensors, he said.
In 2029, Taipei is to host the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) World Congress, Chiang said, driving the city to position itself as a key testing and demonstration base for autonomous vehicles.
Chiang has previously suggested transforming Taipei into an AI city, with an AI agent assigned to every city government employee to improve efficiency and reduce staff workload.
The city government’s Department of Information Technology is currently researching and developing a government-specific AI agent, dubbed “CiviClaw,” he said today.
Preliminary results were presented at the SusHi Tech Tokyo this year, Asia’s largest global innovation conference, where it received positive feedback, he added.
Additional reporting from CNA
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