Summary
- Self-driving buses could alleviate traffic congestion by encouraging public transportation.
- Buses are easier to automate than cars due to fixed routes and reduced navigational complexity.
- Despite ongoing developments, self-driving buses face challenges with market demand, public trust, job displacement, and regulations.
Self-driving cars are no longer just a sci-fi concept—they’re already helping people get around in cities like Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. If the technology works for cars, it should work for buses too, so how long until we start seeing self-driving buses in our cities?
Self-Driving Buses Could Solve Your City’s Transportation Problems
If there’s anything big cities have in common, it’s traffic and, half the time, the cause is simply because there are too many vehicles on the roads.
If more people opted for public transportation instead of cars, there would be less congestion and quicker travel. But the problem is, nobody likes public transportation because it kind of sucks. Some of them are still running on outdated hardware like floppy disks, and according to the American Public Transportation Association, about 45% of Americans have no access to public transportation.
There are several reasons why public transportation is struggling, but one of the biggest is cost. Running a transit system isn’t cheap, and labor is one of the largest expenses.
This is where self-driving buses could save the day. By removing the need for drivers, they could help transit agencies significantly lower their operating costs and reinvest those savings into expanding their services. Doing so would encourage more people to leave their cars at home, and fewer cars on the road mean less congestion, shorter commutes, and a more efficient transportation system for everyone.
Buses Are Easier to Automate Than Cars
The case for self-driving buses gets even stronger when you realize they’re easier to roll out than self-driving cars.
Think about it—self-driving cars need to be able to navigate all roads everywhere, but self-driving buses don’t. Since they have fixed routes, they only need to be good at traversing a specific stretch of road, and maybe a couple of backup routes for flexibility, but that’s it. And in cities where buses have dedicated lanes, their job is even easier.
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Self-Driving Buses Are Already in the Works
There’s enough potential in the idea of self-driving buses that many companies and cities are already developing and testing them.
The BBC reports that in Seoul, South Korea, a self-driving bus is currently undergoing trials. The bus operates at Level 3 autonomy, but only runs at night and has a safety driver on board to step in if needed.
In Scotland, Cavforth, a self-driving organization, launched five autonomous buses that took passengers along a 14-mile route. In addition to being self-driving, the buses can communicate with upcoming traffic lights, and adjust their speed accordingly to improve efficiency.
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According to the Associated Press, in San Francisco, the city launched an autonomous shuttle service that runs a fixed route around Treasure Island with seven stops. The shuttle has no driver’s seat or steering wheel but is staffed by an attendant who can drive the bus with a handheld controller if necessary.
Several companies have also announced plans to develop self-driving buses. For example, MAN and Mobileye announced a collaboration to develop autonomous buses with full-scale production expected by 2030, and May Mobility is partnering with Tecnobus to develop a self-driving bus to be ready in 2026.
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Many Self-Driving Companies Are Short-Lived
Before you get too excited, keep in mind that the self-driving industry is still quite volatile. Companies developing cutting-edge technology like this thrive on hype to attract investment—but that funding doesn’t last forever, and if they can’t secure more backing or reach profitability, it’s often game over.
Many companies have launched ambitious self-driving projects, only to shut them down when the costs become unsustainable. General Motors recently pulled the plug on Cruise (its robotaxi company), and Ford and Volkswagen wound down their self-driving start-up after deciding it wasn’t worth the investment.
That doesn’t mean self-driving buses have no future—this rise and fall of companies is just the natural cycle of emerging tech. The industry will likely see more turbulence before it stabilizes, with a handful of companies emerging as true leaders.
So, while the dream isn’t dead, self-driving buses are far from ready for the mainstream.
Even if the Tech Works, Other Challenges Remain
Even if we get self-driving bus technology working perfectly, that’s only half the battle. There are still a lot of other challenges that need to be sorted out before they become a regular part of city life.
For one, we still don’t know if there’s even a real market for self-driving buses. Developing them is expensive, and cities might prefer to invest in infrastructure improvements with guaranteed benefits rather than pouring money into speculative technology that could fail spectacularly.
Then there’s the question whether people even want self-driving buses. Just because technology exists doesn’t mean people will trust it. Look at what happened in Scotland—Sky News reported that the self-driving bus trial there was shut down because no one wanted to ride it. If that’s any indication, we’re still a long way from the public embracing the idea of autonomous transit.
And what about the people who stand to lose their jobs? Self-driving buses could put thousands of bus drivers out of work, and that’s bound to cause some pushback.
Regulations are another major roadblock. Self-driving buses aren’t like small sidewalk delivery robots—there’s a lot more at stake, so the rules surrounding them tend to be much stricter. Some places outright ban autonomous vehicles, while others require a safety driver to be on board, which kind of defeats the whole purpose of removing drivers in the first place.
So, when will you actually see self-driving buses in your city? Honestly, maybe not for a while. The technology is progressing, but there are still a lot of logistical, financial, and regulatory hurdles to overcome. You might see small test programs here and there, but large-scale adoption might still be years—if not decades—away.
