Another advantage that seem to be overlooked when people speak of autonomous buses is, it does not need to have predefined routes, timings or pickup points. These can be dynamically optimized based on seat booking.
All that said, I guess the focus is on autonomous cars just so that the technology can be created and tested first in everyday practical terms.
Something maybe forgotten from 40 years ago in the Santa Clara Valley. For 6 months in 1974-75 Santa Clara country ran a dial a ride service[1]. What I remember was small buses and taxi's that provided door to door service. Call for a ride and a small bus would show up at your doorstep and drop you off where you wanted to go, not half a mile from where wanted to go. And travel times were generally fast.
I have a vague memory that people that used it really liked it. And it failed because it was too popular for the resources available. One could also imagine 1974 dispatch and routing technology wasn't up for it either.
This is a link to the program. Appears there is a post mortem written in 1981. Probably a good read.
Had a recent thought that a problem with SF Muni is it would work better with smaller more numerous buses. Fews passengers means longer distance between stops, faster travel times. The problem of course being, more drivers.
Autonomous buses solves that and congestion issues, which single rider autonomous cars do not solve.
[1] There are limited dial a ride services for old and disabled people.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-to-l...
https://www.google.de/search?q=autonomous+bus
Another advantage that seem to be overlooked when people speak of autonomous buses is, it does not need to have predefined routes, timings or pickup points. These can be dynamically optimized based on seat booking.
All that said, I guess the focus is on autonomous cars just so that the technology can be created and tested first in everyday practical terms.