Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University to have driverless bus shuttle service running campus-wide by 2019
The service plans to carry up to 300 passengers daily, but some are already complaining that the minibus is too slow
By Low Youjin
By the end of next year, the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore will have an autonomous shuttle service serving the entire campus.
The fully automated Group Rapid Transit (GRT) will operate a minibus service route that connects the halls of residences with the main academic areas, and it is targeted to serve 200 to 300 passengers daily.
The shuttle service, which is on trial for the moment, is expected to be tested further in phases from the last quarter of this year.
NTU made the announcement jointly with transport operator SMRT and Netherlands-based automated-vehicles company 2getthere on Monday (April 16), when they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The MoU paves the way for the GRT minibuses, developed by the Dutch company, to be “integrated into NTU’s transport network”, the three parties said in a statement. The buses will run alongside other autonomous vehicles that have already been undergoing tests on campus since 2012.