Starting this Thursday, passengers can step aboard the self-driving buses of public transport company De Lijn in Leuven.
Two De Lijn buses have been operating autonomously on public roads in Leuven since September, albeit without passengers.
The buses first had to cover sufficient kilometres so that the artificial intelligence on board could be adequately trained for the various traffic situations in Leuven. The buses always travelled a fixed route between Leuven station and Reeboklaan in Heverlee.
The test phase is now complete, according to De Lijn, which added that passengers can ride the buses from 22 January.
A new bus line, number 16, will be created for the self-driving vehicles. The bus line will be officially launched by Federal minister Jean-Luc Crucke, Flemish minister Annick De Ridder, Leuven mayor Mohamed Ridouani and De Lijn director-general Ann Schoubs.
