Ask HN: Why not self driving buses?
Traditional Bus Pros:
1. Cheaper than cars (no insurance, repairs, maintenance, etc)
2. You can multi-task on a bus
3. Buses are arguably less stress prone because you don't actually have to drive it.
4. Safer than rail, automobile, foot, or bicycle [1]
5. More environmentally friendly [2]
6. Additional buses reduce traffic and congestion.
Cons of a bus:
1. Inconvenient: you can't go when you want to
2. Security: I guess you could be harmed on a bus.
3. You don't want to deal with certain types of passengers.
[1] https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/166/2/212/98784/Motor-Vehicle-Crash-Injury-Rates-by-Mode-of-Travel
[2] https://www.statetransit.info/bus-fleet/buses-and-the-environment
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It seems self driving buses would fix most of the negatives. A self driving bus could be owned by a HOA (home owners association) or community. The bus then could be connected to existing infrastructure such as rail or could just go to the "common areas" that the community/HOA desires.
The autonomous nature of them would also likely necessitate security which would select for more desirable passengers. Or at least desirable behavior.
In addition buses seem to be "simpler" in my view, from a self driving perspective. Buses tend to go to predefined destinations that are well marked or at least fixed. This would result in optimization in self driving techniques to get to specific areas, which would presumably make the route not only more efficient and safe, but less prone to technical error (whether its the implementation or data).