**Unmanned Buses Take to the Roads in Taiwan: A New Era for Public Transport**
By Zhang Zhiying, World Wide Web Reporter
This year, a new experiment is underway in Taiwan: "No one's minibus" — an unmanned bus that’s currently on trial. This simple yet groundbreaking development marks the beginning of how "unmanned technology" is being applied to public transportation. It’s not just a breakthrough in autonomous vehicle applications; it represents a major leap forward in business models.
So, what kind of business model does this unmanned bus offer? According to industry sources, the no one bus isn’t just a vehicle — it’s a platform that can create an ecosystem. For instance, if a bus is equipped with facial recognition cameras, it could identify each passenger’s gender, clothing, and age, and then recommend products like coffee, clothes, or movie tickets directly within the vehicle. Beyond advertising, data collected through apps used for scheduled rides could also be a valuable asset. As the bus moves along scenic routes, it could attract investment and bring prosperity to local businesses. Most importantly, once the unmanned bus hits the road, the business model kicks into action immediately.
In November, a section of the open trial run took place in Kaohsiung, following the bay. (Photo by Global Network reporter)
It’s worth noting that since these buses are considered public transport, operators can also receive government subsidies — a crucial financial support for the cost of operating autonomous vehicles.
However, integrating unmanned buses into public transport means that traffic laws, insurance policies, and technological infrastructure must all align. Since this is uncharted territory, the complexity and risks involved have made many conservative industry players hesitant.
Now, the question is: How will Taiwan implement this new mode of transport? While people are still debating the commercialization of driverless cars, the opportunities in unmanned buses have already begun in Taiwan.
Surprisingly, it wasn't a big tech company like BAT or a government department that brought the mini-bus to Taiwan, but a relatively unknown company: 7 Star Lake. They saw a huge potential in the market for unmanned buses and introduced French technology and vehicles, collaborating with cities to optimize urban development through these autonomous shuttles.
Zimen Stark identified key pain points in city planning. According to insiders, it took about 18 months from the initial idea to today’s implementation.
Are there any unmanned light buses carrying passengers now? What’s the current progress?
The unlicensed minibuses have already started trial runs in four enclosed areas in Kaohsiung City, hoping to pave the way for future formal roads. The Global World reporter personally took a route in the New Bay Area of Asia. The one-way journey was about one kilometer long, taking around 15 minutes as the bus traveled along the harbor and Starlight Waterfront Park.
L4-class "unmanned light buses" are manufactured by the French company EasyMile. These compact vehicles, less than 4 meters in length, are electric-powered and equipped with laser ranging systems and cameras for collision prevention. They can carry up to 12 passengers and operate for 8 hours at a speed of 20 km/h.
Reporters noticed Velodyne Lidar and GPS positioning systems on the roof. Velodyne, known for building LiDARs for Google’s self-driving cars and drones, is a key player in ensuring the safety of these buses.
LiDAR is essential for the safety of these buses, acting as their "eyes." It scans the environment to detect obstacles, and each radar needs manual adjustment for accuracy. There are no other components that can replace this in the industry. After all, public safety comes first, and no compromises are made on technical and security considerations. It is understood that this mini version costs around $500,000.
One of the test drives ended in a stall on a hill, requiring the operator to manually resolve the issue. In more complex road conditions, the system still needs human intervention. The operator explained that the problem might have been due to excessive weight.
Passengers were enthusiastic about their first experience with the unmanned bus. (Photo by Global Network reporter)
According to Ding Yanyun, general manager of Ximen Stark, the reason the bus is limited to 8 hours of operation is due to weather conditions and the need for air conditioning. The company plans to build a larger bus that can carry 25 passengers with a 40KW battery. During peak times, they plan to deploy 4 to 8 vehicles to ease urban traffic demand.
"Driverless driving" is a brand new field for Taiwan’s legal framework. When asked about the biggest challenge in promoting driverless buses as a public transport tool, officials said the regulations themselves weren’t the main obstacle. Instead, the advantage of unmanned buses is that the government can integrate them directly into existing public transport systems, avoiding the need for extensive data collection, research, and rewriting new regulations from scratch.
High-level officials from the Kaohsiung Transportation Bureau said, “The law is very willing to cooperate. The difficulty lies in how the unmanned bus should adapt to various road conditions and environments.†In other words, the real challenge is technical.
But why are Taipei and Kaohsiung willing to invest in regulations and policies to make everything “simple†and welcome the arrival of unmanned buses?
Traffic problems are solved by using small, efficient buses to serve underpopulated areas.
The Kaohsiung Communications Bureau told the reporter that building a 1-kilometer road in the city costs nearly $150 million. Expanding the road network via bus lanes is difficult due to funding and time constraints. All of this has led to delays in improving bus coverage in the city.
“We often say ‘three for a long time’: Stops take a long way to go, buses are too few, and travel takes a long time,†said the Kaohsiung Transportation Bureau.
Compared to traditional buses, an unmanned bus costs about $1 million. It can change routes based on traffic conditions and even allow reservations, making it more flexible. Additionally, its smart design can enhance the city’s image, collect traffic data to improve management, and attract tourists.
At present, companies are willing to invest their own funds to introduce unmanned buses. The benefits of these measures have earned immediate support from government departments.
It is understood that Kaohsiung City has formed a team to consolidate safety and punishment regulations and submit an application to the Ministry of Communications. It is expected that next year, unmanned buses will be able to drive on general intersections and face real street scenes. A government insider noted: “Because of safety concerns, we’re currently operating in closed areas, but this can’t satisfy real demands. We can’t close all roads for the unmanned vehicle, and we can’t keep doing it forever in closed areas.â€
If unmanned buses successfully obtain road test licenses next year, they can conduct deeper studies on real road conditions. (Photo by Global Network reporter)
Once the protection of the enclosed area is lifted, the real challenge begins. On crowded roads filled with pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles, whether the autonomous driving technology can correctly judge and execute is the real test. At the same time, only by letting unmanned buses actually get on the road can artificial intelligence be deeply studied. By collecting and learning data from various real road conditions, the unmanned buses can become smarter.
Kaohsiung City stated that on completely open roads, it is necessary to open two or three intersections to test and let the unmanned buses work with traffic lights, AI, sensors, and data from different cities, constantly modifying algorithms to realize smart cities.
In addition to Kaohsiung's active promotion, Taipei is not far behind. Taipei told reporters that it is expected to test the road test license by the end of the year. If all goes well, it is expected to see unmanned buses on the bus lane near Xinyi Road next year.
“Taipei has 29,000 traffic accidents a year, and smart vehicles are obviously a very important scene,†said the Taipei Department of Transportation. “The whole world is exploring better ways to travel. I’ve heard that there is less money for unmanned buses. High security is an inevitable direction. This view is challenging for everyone, but it aligns with the direction of smart cities in Taipei.â€
Small Town Strategy: Unmanned Bus Technology + Sightseeing + Green Energy
It’s worth mentioning that when promoting unmanned public light buses as public transport, a small city has also joined the trend: Changhua City.
In the future, unmanned bus routes will be equipped with smart street lamps and wind turbine installations. (Provided by Simon Gatek)
Compared to first-tier cities, Changhua City has received fewer government resources, but in recent years, it has developed wind power due to its special geographical environment, becoming an internationally renowned wind power area, attracting many foreign wind power investigators.
Due to its small population and limited resources, Changhua City hopes to introduce unmanned minibuses to promote tourism and economic development. Their approach is quite creative: on the idle road near the high-speed rail in Changhua City, there is no open minibus. Changhua City stated that on both sides of the road in the future, it will become a sightseeing area for eating, drinking, and playing. That is, as long as there is no light bus, you can go all the way to the end.
“I want to plant some rose fields and lavender fields along this route, and let these places become sites for unmanned minibuses. On Valentine’s Day, we can hold some events suitable for the occasion,†said Ding Yanyun.
According to Changhua City, “If we just do sightseeing, our application for unmanned buses is still at a relatively simple level.†Changhua City will further use its windy environment. “We recommend unmanned bus operators to install small wind turbines on both sides of the road for wind power generation, and the generated electricity can be sold to the power plant again. The fans on both sides become a special scenery, but also let the original unmanned vehicle technology combine sightseeing and then promote it to green energy. The level of environmental protection.â€
“A lot of manufacturers are surprised and excited to see what I’ve done. They can see that I’m doing all this, not just stopping at the sightseeing minibus. All the things we do now are for the official road of the car,†said Ding Yanyun.
Regulations Are the Latest Specifications for Virgin Lands: Bus Operators Need to Insure 30 Million
Current laws and regulations in Taiwan impose strict requirements on "vehicles," requiring a steering wheel and a specified number of escape exits. If not met, they cannot apply for a trial license or conduct general road tests. In other words, laws and regulations cannot keep up with the development of science and technology.
As driverless technology involves a whole new field, what about insurance? How much is the amount? Where is the scope? Do you want to design a special law? All of the above are aspects that need to be considered.
All of this made new progress in November. The Taiwan Ministry of Transport revised the law to allow unmanned vehicles to be supervised at the end of the year, requiring that one person accompany the vehicle, and the maximum amount of insured money would be NT$150 million (approximately 30 million RMB). Video equipment to record driving trajectories.
In response to accidents in foreign unmanned vehicle testing, the new law stipulates that there must be one person with the vehicle during the test, and it must have insurance. The amount of insurance coverage can be adjusted according to factors such as road section, time period, and driving speed.
The Science and Technology Consultant Office of the Ministry of Transport has tentatively drafted a draft management point, which stipulates that the responsibility for steering wheel, acceleration and deceleration operations, and driving environment monitoring can be handled automatically by the system. With Level 3 driving ability defined by SAE, it can apply for a trial license. It is believed that it is possible to apply for a road test license in Taiwan.
Will the mainland introduce the unmanned bus business model in the future?
“If the application of unmanned vehicles remains in private cars, it will still be unable to solve urban traffic problems,†a senior person from the Communications Bureau emphasized during an interview with the reporter. Bringing unmanned technology to public transport was smoothly supported by policy and implemented surprisingly quickly.
Currently, the unmanned bus carries a maximum of 12 passengers. In the future, it hopes to build a 25-passenger, driverless bus. (Photo by Global Network reporter)
In recent years, due to the emergence of unmanned buses, the limited area of economic development in Taiwan is expected to lead a new wave of momentum in the technology industry. In the future, large-scale technology companies that build unmanned bus components will benefit from the upgrading of the industry.
When the "unmanned public light bus" was put on trial operation in China’s Taiwan this year, "driving without a driver" began to work for "public transport." This was a breakthrough in the application of unmanned vehicles and a leap forward in business models.
Ding Yanyun aims at the needs of the city and creates his own traffic and lifestyle for the city. But he wants to do more than this. It is understood that Ding Yanyun is trying to get in touch with Baidu. Although there is no specific plan yet, the vision is bigger than expected.
"In the future unmanned buses, I will also put windows in new electronic screens to create a dedicated unmanned vehicle app. Combining with surrounding businesses, taking an unmanned bus will be very entertaining. In short, the future may be very exciting," said Ding Yanyun excitedly.
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