NUS to test fully autonomous shuttle bus on campus roads

SINGAPORE — The National University of Singapore (NUS) will begin testing a driverless shuttle bus that will ply its Kent Ridge campus and eventually ferry passengers.

The vehicle, named the NUSmart Shuttle, will start a six-week road test on May 25. During that time, its navigation system will collect data to “map” a 1.6km route between Heng Mui Keng Terrace and Business Link.

To ensure that the data collected is accurate, the vehicle will travel at speeds ranging between 5km/h and 16km/h, ComfortDelGro said in a press release on May 23.

The transport company’s subsidiary, ComfortDelGro Bus, will operate the shuttle service — touted as the first autonomous bus run by a land transport operator in real traffic conditions, it said.

The company also said that the electric bus relies on software and sensors to navigate roads, based on French start-up EasyMile’s autonomous technology, which has been deployed in more than 26 countries.

The 12-seater shuttle is expected to start its passenger service test in the third quarter of the year.

The trial at NUS is part of a year-long study which aims to gauge the service’s commercial viability.