MnDOT hopes to have Robotic Buses on Minnesota Roads Soon
You might soon see driver-less buses on Minnesota roads.
Robotic buses have been transporting people around European cities without any problems for some time, and now Minnesota is exploring the option.
Jay Hietpas, MnDoT’s director of safety and technology, told citypages.com that the goal is “to get to a place where no one ever dies in a bus-related accident due to human error.”
One main concern is our climate. MnDOT is studying how these robotic buses would perform on snow and ice covered roads.
MnDoT just started researching the buses but hopes to have it’s own version on the roads by next year.
MnDOT’s main goal, according to finance-commerce.com, is to find a partner: a private company currently making autonomous buses that would be willing to test them out in Minnesota’s harsh climate.