Daimler says 'no hands' Citaro still needs a driver

摘要

Mercedes-Benz says its new, optionally driverless city bus can change the face of public transport for good without replacing humans at the wheel. It is a bold claim from Europe's leading manufacturer, which showed in July how a self-driving test vehicle based on the Citaro could tackle a 20km section of Dutch rapid transit busway with aplomb. It took just six months to build this prototype, which is designed to show what is possible if driverless buses go ahead. The maiden trip came only weeks after Switzerland's PostAuto began public trials with driverless shuttles in the town of Sion. These are minibuses from French manufacturer Navya with a guard and a panic button to push if need be (Global News, January).