SNOOPY yellow school bus appears in Taichung! Self-driving bus goes on the road on 11/18, free for 3 months

The Taichung City Transportation Bureau held the first trial flight ceremony of the Shuinan self-driving bus at the Shuinan Transfer Center today (11th). The body of the school bus was painted with SNOOPY family characters to make it an eye-catching and cute yellow school bus. Mayor Lu Xiuyan and Vice President of the Legislative Yuan Jiang Qichen took the self-driving bus in person. It is capable of carrying passengers internationally and is sure to drive smoothly and safely. The driving route is about 7.7 kilometers and passes through 31 signposted intersections. It is the self-driving test bus route with the largest number of signposted intersections in Taiwan. Online reservations are open today, and a three-month free trial will begin on November 18.

Lu Xiuyan said that artificial intelligence and unmanned vehicles are important trends in the development of global science and technology. The city government has actively promoted related industries and smart transportation in the past eight years. The MRT Green Line that has been opened to traffic adopts an unmanned driving system, and the MRT Blue Line under construction will also adopt the same design. This time, the Shuinan self-driving bus has advanced to the third stage, gradually moving from closed and semi-closed roads to fully open roads.

Lu Xiuyan said that the Shuinan self-driving bus has six major features, including driverless, all-electric, domestic manufacturing, SNOOPY themed painting, free trial rides, and open road driving. Among them, it travels through 31 signaled intersections and has to face general traffic, pedestrians, and complex traffic environments, which tests the self-driving system’s recognition and adaptability. Taichung will continue to promote the application of unmanned vehicles and AI technology.

Transportation Director Ye Zhaofu said that the all-electric self-driving bus made in Taiwan can carry 9 passengers and travel at a speed of about 30 to 35 kilometers per hour. A three-month free trial service will be provided from November 18. There are 14 daily departures from Monday to Friday, with the first departure at 10 a.m. and the last departure at 4:20 p.m. People can choose a full bus or a shuttle bus.

Shuinan self-driving buses pass through Shuinan Transfer Center, Central Park, MRT Mandarin High School Station, Lumeitu and International Convention and Exhibition Center, and the journey takes about 45 minutes; shuttle buses pass through Shuinan Transfer Center, Lumeitu and International Convention and Exhibition Center, and the journey takes about 15 minutes.

The demonstration route must adapt to traffic situations such as lane merging, intersection turns, signal obstruction under viaducts, pedestrian crossings and shared stops with general buses. Through a variety of sensing devices, AI image recognition and Internet of Vehicles technologies, vehicles can grasp surrounding traffic flow, pedestrians and traffic signal dynamics to improve driving safety and adaptability.