The operator of a self-driving shuttle bus was critically injured in a crash in Whitby, Ontario, east of Toronto, on Thursday night.
Durham Regional Police say the incident happened in the Watson Street West and Victoria Street area and involved a Whitby Autonomous Vehicle Electric (WAVE) shuttle bus.
The operator was the lone person on the bus at the time of the crash, according to police. He was taken to a trauma centre.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known. Police are investigating alongside the Ministry of Labour.
The new autonomous bus in Whitby has somehow lost control hitting a tree. Injuries are not know at this time @DRPS collision investigation unit is on the way. Watson is closed at this time pic.twitter.com/hh49ZHThta— Colin Williamson (@ColinWxchaser) December 16, 2021
The WAVE bus rolled onto Whitby streets in November as part of a pilot project.
The self-driving bus takes a six-kilometre route starting at the Whitby GO Station. It doesn’t operate faster than 20 km/h. The vehicle is equipped with radar and a 360-degree camera to scan for obstacles and adjust accordingly.
A trained safety attendant is always on board and can take over control of the vehicle manually if needed, Durham Region Transit says.
Source: driving.ca